3 die, 8 wounded in Tamaulipas state

A total of three dead and eight wounded have been recorded in shootings in the northern Mexican border state Tamaulipas since last Friday, according to official news reports.

A shooting incident in the state capital of Ciuidad Victoria Friday left two  dead and seven wounded among them a five year old child in a drive by shooting.

According to the government's account, the first incident took place at around 2200 hrs on Calle 31 Sierra Madre at a taco stand in Sierra Ventana colony where four armed suspects traveling aboard a vehicle opened fire on several individuals and businesses.

The dead were identified as José Antonio Ruiz Martinez, 43, and Dolores Lopez Rivera, 72.

Further south in the coastal municipality of Tampico, one unidentified man was wounded in a drive by shooting Saturday evening.

The incident took place at around 1800 hrs near the intersection of Calle Ejercito Mexicano and Avenida Universidad, where armed suspects traveling aboard two vehicles opened fire on customers.  Damage was recorded to buildings in the area as well.

The shooters were said to be aboard a Dodge Journey SUV and a Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

Mexican Naval Infantry seized a number of contraband in two separate incidents in southern and northern Tamaulipas, detaining three unidentified suspects.

In Rio Bravo municipality, a Marine rifle unit stopped armed suspects traveling aboard a Ford Lobo ()F-150) extended cab pickup truck.  Aboard the truck marines seized a grenade launcher attachment for an AK-47 rifle,  145 weapons magazines, 1,142 rounds of ammunition and MEX $1,720 (USD $130.93) in cash.

In Mante municipality a marine unit stopped armed suspects traveling aboard a Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV following a brief pursuit.  Marines seized one handgun and 58 rounds of ammunition.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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7 die in Tamaulipas -- UPDATED

Updated with revised, confirmed death toll
 
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Even as officials with the state government of Tamaulipas proudly trumpeted their role in a peaceful Semana Santa or Holy Week, seven individuals have been killed in Tamaulipas since Tuesday as shootouts continue in southern regions of the state, according to officials and Mexican news accounts.

A late news release published on the website of Tamaulipas said that seven unidentified individuals were killed in two confrontations in San Fernando municipality Tuesday afternoon.

According to the report, a Mexican naval infantry road patrol came under small arms fire coming from a convoys near the village of Carbajal.

Marine counterfire struck and killed five suspects, and presumably the rest of the occupants in the convoy managed to escape.  Marines seized a number of contraband in the aftermath including five rifles, one semiautomatic pistol, a tube grenade launcher, four grenades, 39 weapons magazines, 947 rounds of ammunition and a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.

A second incident took place at around 1640 hrs  in San Fernando proper in Guillermo Guajardo colony on Avenida Division del Norte when a separate Mexican marine road patrol attempted a traffic stop of four men traveling aboard a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.  Occupants in the vehicle opened fire on the marines.  Three of the occupants escaped the scene while the fourth was killed by marine gunfire.

A short distance away, an unidentified man in his 70s was found dead inside his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.  According to the official report, another man unidentified in the news account told prosecutors that he had been the driver of the truck, and that the victim had been hit by stray gunfire.

News has emerged in the wake of the end of Semana Santa that shootings and intergang firefights are on the rise in southern Tamaulipas municipalities.
According to a report which appeared in El Manana news daily,  several gunfights have taken place since Tuesday in Tampico municipality.

According to the report as of Wednesday morning, official reports have yet to surface as to killed and wounded despite the fact that shootouts continue.

Citing the text of tweets of a local Televisa affiliate, shootouts were reported in Del Pueblo colony which took place Tuesday at 1430 hrs, and on Avenida Universidad at 1530 hrs.  No reports were of dead or wounded.  The report said the shootouts were simultaneous.

Later reports are of shootouts in Laderas de Vista Bella colony as well, including detonations of grenades at a residence, and in Cascajal colony where a Nissan X-terra was immolated.

That evening shootouts were reported in Tampico near the intersection of calles 2 de Enero and Heroes de Chapultepec at around 17:00 hrs, and near the intersection of calles Matienzo y José de Escandon in Zona Centro.

For their part, the state government of Tamaulipas reported a shootout between a Mexican Army road patrol and armed suspects in the southern municipality of Aldama Monday afternoon.

That incident took place at around 1740 hrs, but resulting in the capture of four suspects.  Contraband seized included five rifles, magazines, ammunition, personal quantities of marijuana, tactical gear, communication equipment and the vehicle.

The same report mentions that a Mexican Army unit located two abandoned vehicles in Santo Niño colony, inside of which were found ammunition, weapons magazines and several incendiary devices, probably Molotov cocktails.

Meanwhile in Reynosa municipality a Mexican Army unit located and seized arms and ammunition in Hacienda Las Fuentes colony Tuesday.  According to an official report, soldiers seized 41 rifles, two grenades, 22,334 rounds of ammunition,  weapons magazines and tactical gear.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and Borderlandbeat.com  He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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4 die in Tamaulipas state

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Four unidentified individuals were killed or were found dead in a series of intergang firefights in the southern municipality of Tampico Tuesday and Wednesday.  Also, a total of 179 migrants were released  from captivity by Mexican Army units over several days in four different cities in the state, according to official state and Mexican press accounts.

According to a news account in Proceso news weekly, two gunfights took place which left one dead.  The first took place at  La Puntilla market, while the second took place near the intersection of calles Aduana and Perimetral at a shopping center called Macalito.

Meanwhile in Tolteca colony, near the intersection of calles Nicolas Bravo and Rosalio Bustamante, armed suspects drove customers and employees from a children's playground, Castillo de Sueños, then torched the building, which was destroyed.

That afternoon, two men were executed in two separate incidents in Tampico. The first was near Hospital Militar, while the second was in Primavera colony, near a Coca Cola plant.

The next morning, Wednesday, two armed encounters took place in Tampico, the first at a nightclub on Avenida Universidad, which took place at around midnight and then at first light at the Seduccion disco, where Molotov cocktails were thrown.  No one was reported wounded at either incident.

Mexico is in the middle of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which is a major event especially in Tampico, as residents and tourists as well take advantage of warm weather and Tampico's beaches to spend Easter Sunday.  During Semana Santa, Mexican security is usually beefed up, and it has been announced so since last month that army and naval infantry forces would in the streets to provide security.

Ciudad Madero, a sort of twin city of Tampico is also the headquarters for the Mexican Navy Zona Naval 1, which is a large naval detachment.  The Mexican Army maintains a large base near Ciudad Mante, about 60 kilometers away.

Busts in southern Tamaulipas

Units of the Mexican Army detained nine individuals and seized contraband in southern Tamaulipas municipalities in two separate operations Tuesday, according to official government news releases.

Just after noon, a Mexican Army road patrol encountered four suspects near Rancho Nuevo in Llera municipality, and detained all four.  Inside the ranch house, soldiers found one unidentified man who had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. 

Soldiers also seized two rifles, two pistols, 124 rounds of ammunition, six weapons magazines, one stolen vehicle, and MEX $3,868.00 (USD $296.58) and USD $48.00 (MEX($626.03) in cash.

Meanwhile in Altamira, five unidentified male suspects were detained by a Mexican Army road patrol.  In that incident, soldiers seized one rifle, 50 rounds of ammunition, two weapons magazines, four vehicles, 1,950 packages of marijuana, presumably wrapped for individual sale of marijuana, two cell phones and MEX $188,000.00 (USD $14,414.71) in cash.

Rescues

Since April 9th, Mexican security forces have rescued a total of 179 migrants in several separate operations, according to a news account posted on the website of Tamaulipas state government.

• April 9th: In Ciudad Madero a Mexican Naval Infantry unit located an freed 35 migrants, all from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.  Among the migrants was a four year old child.  A total of three suspects were detained at the scene, identified as Hugo Cesar Rodriguez Niges, Servio Tulio Avalos Gonzalez and Ernesto Alvarado Machado.  Sailors also seized three rifles, 132 rounds of ammunition, six weapons magazines and four vehicles.
• April 10th:  In Reynosa municipality in  Pedro J. Mendez colony, a Policia Federal unit rescued  76 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, totaling 65 and 11 women, who were kidnapped for ransom.  No one was reported detained at the scene. 
• April 11th:  In the city of Tampico, 20 migrants were rescued by a Policia Estatal Acreditable unit as they were being loaded onto a bus for the United State.  One suspects, identified as Eladio Lopez Cardona was detained at the scene.  A total of 12 from Guatemala, four from  Honduras and four from El Salvador were rescued.
• April 12th:  In Matamoros municipality in Estancia Residencial colony, Mexican Army and Policia Estatal Acreditable units were dispatched to a residence based on an anonymous complaint to find 48 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua detained by criminals. One suspect identified as Daniela Gomez Garcia was detained at the scene.  The count of the kidnapping victims were 38 men, six women and four children.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

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Letter; CDG to Tampico Citizens

Here is a letter that surfaced 1-2 weeks ago signed C.D.G. I was sitting on this letter for a while because of how it was written, but decided to post it after a conversation I had with a friend who told me "Ya dieron luz verde en Tamaulipas de matar Zetas otraves", They just gave the green light to kill Zetas in Tamaulipas again.

It was strange to hear that because I had not heard of any sort of treaty, but according to what I was told there had been attempts on restoring peace between the organizations, but apparently it was not working out so they called it off.

I had to change some of the wording in order for it to make sense, but here it is for those who want to read it.

Citizens of Tampico, don't be afraid, we only protect your wellbeing. We take care of the "Plaza". We are people who come prepared, we are not young men, we don't kill women, we respect them.

Citizens, don't be afraid, Don't listen to gossip, we don't attack people who are not involved in this. Don't be afraid, The Zetas want to scare you, the Marines are not coming for us. It is against the Zetas.

This weekend respect the curfew; today, tomorrow and the day after starting from 12am on Saturday and Sunday starting at 9pm don't go out. We have orders of defending this "Plaza" from all enemies. We are not responsible of where the gunfights may breakout.

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