The mother of a man wanted for murder in South Texas is claiming that unknown gunmen kidnapped her son in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Her son is currently listed as one of Cameron County’s Most Wanted Fugitives for his alleged role in a drug-related murder.
Late last week, local Mexican news outlets and Facebook groups began sharing information about 33-year-old Rogelio Mendiola, who relatives claim was kidnapped by gunmen out of his house in the Huizachal rural community in Matamoros. The case didn’t draw much attention in this Mexican border city where cartel kidnappings are common despite claims by government officials that the city is free of crime.
However, just days before the alleged kidnapping, Mendiola had been featured on a post by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, where he and another man were listed as two of their most wanted fugitives.
According to information released by Texas authorities, Mendiola, 39-year-old Roman Torres, and 48-year-old Jose Alfredo Villarreal are accused of taking part in the May 21, 2021, murder of 42-year-old Genaro Urbano Gomez. After an initial arrest, the three men managed to bond out. Since then, Mendiola and Villarreal fled to Mexico and remain listed as fugitives, Torres remains jailed in Cameron County awaiting trial. In recent years, Cameron County has had several high-profile drug-related killings amid an ongoing crime wave that includes a dramatic rise in vehicle thefts that are then crossed into Mexico at the request of the Gulf Cartel. The Tamaulipas government has not revealed any information about Mendiola’s disappearance.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza” and J.C. Sanchez” from Tamaulipas.
