The U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, issued an alert over a series of kidnappings along certain Mexican border highways. The warning follows the actions by teams of gunmen who abducted at least ten people in at least three separate cases in recent days. It remains unclear if other similar cases have not been reported.
This week, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros issued the alert and ordered U.S. government employees not to travel along the highway that connects the border city of Reynosa with the Monterrey metropolitan area over crime and kidnapping risks. The border state of Tamaulipas is listed as a level 4 Do Not Travel region, the highest designation, which is also used for active war zones.
Consular officials recommended that travelers who still decide to travel should:
- Stay alert, do not make unnecessary stops.
- Plan travel during daylight hours.
- Monitor local media for updates.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Notify friends and family of your safety.
In their alert, they quoted the Director of Public Safety in Reynosa, who had posted a video warning locals to avoid traveling at night and to avoid stopping along the way. If they needed to make any stops, he asked travelers to stop in areas with more people, such as gas stations.
The warnings come after gunmen kidnapped five musicians and their driver on June 16 as they traveled to a city called General Teran, where suspected cartel members held them at gunpoint and kept them for over 24 hours. The gunmen had set up a makeshift roadblock.
Just days later, gunmen kidnapped three women who were driving from Monterrey to Reynosa. Almost at the same time, gunmen also kidnapped a doctor who was traveling the same route. Authorities in Nuevo Leon raided three separate locations near Los Ramones, where they were able to rescue the victims.
The gunmen are believed to be from the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, who have been pushing into areas previously controlled by the Gulf Cartel.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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