A concerning trend is taking place in the central part of the border state of Tamaulipas as the Gulf Cartel has begun to abduct innocent laborers on their way to work. Authorities have been unable to provide answers to the cases while government officials continue to falsely claim that the region is safe and that “impunity has ended.”

The abductions began in December in the central part of the state, leading to a current total of six cases. Federal and state police forces have been unable to stop it.

It remains unclear if any ransom demands have been made to the families who have been staging protests asking for answers. Relatives who spoke with Breitbart Texas claim there are serious concerns that more workers, small businessmen, and farmers could go missing in the coming weeks due to the impunity with which organized crime operates in the region.

One of the abductions took place on Christmas Eve in the town of Santa Engracia, Tamaulipas. Relatives claim that 49-year-old Luis Fernando Zuniga Lopez went missing. Zuniga Lopez, a produce seller, was going to meet with some individuals over a possible sale and never returned home. In the central part of Tamaulipas, organized crime has been extorting citrus and produce sellers.

Another abduction took place on December 19, when gunmen took three employees from a local cable and internet company. The employees were installing fiber optic cable in the region. The men are 30-year-old Jose Coronado Martinez, 26-year-old Andrés Guadalupe Ranos Estrada, and 19-year-old Irving Manuel Nava.

The most recent kidnapping took place in early January when a group of gunmen abducted 40-year-old Jose Roberto Soto and 34-year-old Aaron Enrique Espinoza. Both victims worked in the local municipal water district.

The abductions have been reported in the towns of Padilla, Santa Engracia, and Barretal — all located in Tamaulipas.

The area where the kidnappings took place is under the control of two separate Gulf Cartel factions, one led by a local crime boss, Lioncio Sanchez, while the other Gulf Cartel faction, Pedro J. Mendez, masquerades as a self-defense group. It remains unclear which faction took part in the abductions; however, both continue to operate with impunity in Tamaulipas.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ 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 Texas’ 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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