Gulf Cartel gunmen carjacked over a dozen tractor-trailers and forced their drivers to dump thousands of gallons of fuel. The gunmen attacked the truck over non-payment of protection fees to the criminal organization.
The attacks have been underway for several days. However, it has been largely kept quiet by government officials in Tamaulipas. Breitbart Texas obtained a series of videos where Gulf Cartel gunmen claim that the fuel dumping resulted from disrespecting the criminal organization by not paying for the right to move through their turf.
During the week, gunmen from the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel began stopping tractor-trailers loaded with fuel that had crossed from Texas into Mexico. The gunmen moved those vehicles to a dirt road near the highway, where they lined them up and forced the drivers to dump the fuel they were carrying.
Despite thousands of gallons of fuel being dumped, Matamoros city officials kept the issue quiet and did not issue any security alerts nor close any roads. Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal has not commented about the fuel theft and is constantly trying to minimize the raging violence in his state. Breitbart Texas reported that the politician had funds and logistical help from various criminal organizations, including the Gulf Cartel, during his electoral run.
Sources within Tamaulipas law enforcement revealed they responded to the rural areas near Matamoros to recover the tractor-trailers the gunmen had taken. State agents, with the help of the Mexican Army, were able to recover the stolen vehicles and rescue the truck drivers.
The Gulf Cartel in Matamoros is heavily involved in the theft, sale, and distribution of fuel in their turfs. Additionally, the Gulf Cartel has been extorting most businesses in the region, demanding protection fees to let them operate.
In border cities, businesses often purchase fuel in Texas at a lower cost and cross it into Mexico instead of buying it from corrupt government sources. However, there have been cases where fuel is crossed into Mexico through ports of entry with doctored documents to pay lower taxes.
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 “Francisco Morales” and “J.C. Sanchez” from Tamaulipas.
