Pubdate: Fri, 26 Feb 2010
Source: Brownsville Herald, The (TX)
Copyright: 2010 The Brownsville Herald
Contact: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sections/contact/
Website: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1402

US LAW ENFORCEMENT MONITORING MEXICAN VIOLENCE

As drug violence continues in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Brownsville 
law enforcement officials continue their work to prevent any spillover of 
the violence into the U.S. and to ensure a safe Charro Days.

However, Brownsville Police Department Chief Carlos Garcia urged border 
residents to exercise prudence when visiting Mexico.

"It is sad but, if you don't have any business in Mexico, it's best not to 
go," Garcia said. "We continue to monitor the situation and are prepared to 
act accordingly."

The police chief said his department continues to monitor violence in 
Mexico and is in constant communications with other law enforcement 
agencies to coordinate a response if needed.

The police department already has increased manpower on the streets, but 
that is attributed to the ongoing Charro Days festivities, where officials 
expect upward of 50,000 revelers to attend parades and other festivities.

The U.S. Department of State recently reissued a travel alert, warning the 
public that criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in 
vehicles in border areas, including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana.

"Travelers on the highways between Monterrey and other parts of Mexico to 
the United States (notably through Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros) have been 
targeted for robbery and violence and have also inadvertently been caught 
in incidents of gunfire between criminals and Mexican law enforcement. Such 
incidents are more likely to occur at night but may occur at any time," the 
alert states.

The alert is dated from Feb. 22 to Aug. 20.

In the most recent confrontation between purported drug traffickers and 
military forces on Thursday morning, the Mexican Army reported killing four 
"attackers" while seizing weapons and vehicles, said the Mexican Defense 
Secretariat (SEDENA) in a written statement.

The shootout took place at approximately 9:20 a.m. on State Highway 99 just 
south of Matamoros, SEDENA said. The highway connects Matamoros and Valle 
Hermoso.

As soldiers traveled along the highway, the occupants of three SUVs 
attacked them, forcing them to fight back and kill the four occupants of 
one vehicle, SEDENA said.

As a result of the gun battle, soldiers seized a late-model Cadillac 
Escalade, four assault rifles, more than 700 rounds of ammunition, and 27 
ammunition clips.

The firefight south of Matamoros is the most recent in an upsurge of 
gun-battles throughout the state. Reports of violence stretch from Ciudad 
Mier just across from eastern Zapata County to Matamoros, including several 
days of violence in Valle Hermoso a few miles south of the free trade 
bridge at Los Indios. At least eight gun battles have also been reported in 
Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas.

Some unconfirmed reports state that the fighting is taking place between 
members of the Gulf Cartel and rogue members of the Zetas, the former armed 
guard of the cartel.

The Zetas began as rapid response military group trained to fight cartels 
but defected to join the ranks of the Gulf Cartel as enforcers, primarily 
focusing on the kidnapping and execution of rival drug traffickers, U.S. 
Drug Enforcement Administration documents show.

After the capture of famed drug lord Oziel Cardenas, the Zetas developed 
into a major drug trafficking organization working loosely with the Gulf 
Cartel in a partnership called "La Compania," jointly deciding the 
logistical issues of the drug trade.

However, according Mexican Law enforcement officials, who asked not to be 
named for safety issues, the recent gun battles are the results of an 
internal struggle between the two organizations fighting for control of the 
border region.

According to an education official in Ciudad Victoria, who asked his name 
not be released fearing for his safety, said that in the recent gun 
battles, some gunmen have barricaded themselves in schools.

"This is happening statewide. My friends told me it happened in Valle 
Hermoso, Matamoros, and Reynosa," he said. "They say that if they are 
overwhelmed, the narcos take over a school until they can get backup or 
find a way to leave."
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D