A Mexican Navy sailor died, and two others sustained serious injuries while providing security to a group of mothers who were searching rural areas for cartel mass graves.
The incident took place in the Western Mexican state of Sinaloa, in a rural area between the towns of Recodo and Tecomate. The three Navy infantrymen were part of a security detail provided by Mexico’s Navy to a group of activists who were searching for mass graves. The groups are commonly called Madres Buscadoras, or searching mothers.
According to the local news outlet RioDoce, the Mexican Navy infantrymen were part of a security detail and were patrolling the area when they came under fire from a group of unknown gunmen. The military force fought back, and during the clash, they were injured by an explosive device. Rio Doce identified the device as an antipersonnel landmine.
Additional military forces responded to the scene and rushed the three injured troops to a military hospital, where, ultimately, one of them died, a captain, from the injuries sustained. The other two were identified as an officer and a troop soldier.
In Mexico, groups of searching mothers have gained much relevance in recent years since they are constantly searching for clandestine gravesites where drug cartels have buried or incinerated their victims. Most of the groups are made up of volunteers, typically women who are searching for their missing sons or other loved ones. The groups and their constant discoveries of new mass graves paint a different picture of Mexico than the one pushed by its President, Claudia Sheinbaum, who constantly claims that her country is safe and that crime has decreased since her arrival.
Sheinbaum has been the topic of much controversy in recent months as she has verbally clashed with the Trump administration over her refusal to eradicate drug cartels. Sheinbaum has publicly criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for criminally indicting a sitting governor who hails from her political party, claiming that there is no proof of wrongdoing. This week, Sheinbaum also verbally trashed the U.S. Department of the Treasury for sanctioning a series of companies tied to a fuel theft and smuggling operation for Cartel Jalisco New Generation and for funding political campaigns, Breitbart Texas reported.
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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