Due to the widespread corruption and cartel infiltration in the border state of Tamaulipas, Mexican military forces kept local and state authorities out of the loop in a recent operation targeting a commander with the Gulf Cartel.
The raid took place last week, when a group of special forces soldiers with Mexico’s Army arrived at the Reynosa International Airport from Mexico City. From there, the soldiers moved to a rural community called Sandoval, which is just west of Matamoros.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
The soldiers moved quickly and were able to carry out a raid at a ranch that was being used by members of the Gulf Cartel. The target of the operation was Antonio Guadalipe “El Lexus or Tono” Perez Dominguez, who is the leader of the “Ranger Operative” cell of the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel. During the raid, authorities seized various weapons, including a rocket launcher, grenades, and a .50 caliber rifle. They also arrested 8 of his gunmen. After the arrest, military forces flew the gunmen to Mexico City so they could go before a Mexican federal judge on various charges.
The man known as El Lexus had previously been arrested in Tampico, Tamaulipas, in July 2024; however, after a short time, a judge in Mexico ordered his release for unknown reasons. Court documents from the case are not readily available.
Breitbart Texas was able to confirm that in the most recent raid against El Lexus, military forces did not notify local or state police forces of the raid and subsequent operation to move the captured cartel members. The move was made to prevent leaks that could have tipped off the Gulf Cartel about the move against them. As Breitbart Texas reported, the border city of Matamoros has a long history of being infiltrated by the Gulf Cartel, with some of its highest-ranking public officials working directly for the criminal organization. City officials have even taken part in extortion schemes where they would collect fees on behalf of the 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 [email protected].
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 [email protected].
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