Cartel Roadblocks and Gunfire Paralyze Matamoros After Arrest of Gulf Cartel Figure
Afternoon classes were canceled and border bridges to Brownsville, Texas, briefly closed as gunmen blocked roads across northern Tamaulipas.
See where this is ›MATAMOROS, Mexico —
Gunmen blocked main roads in Matamoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, Oct. 29, after federal forces arrested Axel Alfredo Cárdenas Rodríguez, a suspected leader in a Gulf Cartel faction, Mexico News Daily reported.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch confirmed the arrest Thursday afternoon. He said Cárdenas Rodríguez is second-in-command of the “Ciclones” (Cyclones) cell and is linked to killings, kidnapping, extortion and trafficking of drugs, weapons and people into the United States, as well as a May 17 attack that killed one federal security officer. A companion was also detained, and both were flown to Mexico City.
See where this is ›According to Mexico News Daily, which cited Reforma and other Mexican outlets, criminals used buses and cargo trucks, some taken from their drivers, to block streets in Matamoros and Río Bravo and highways toward Reynosa and Ciudad Victoria. Gunfire was reported as gunmen clashed with security forces, vehicles were burned, and tire spikes were thrown on roads in Reynosa and near its airport.
The Tamaulipas state government urged residents to avoid the affected areas and follow official instructions. The state education ministry canceled afternoon classes in Matamoros to protect students and staff. The Brownsville Police Department closed all international bridges between Brownsville and Matamoros because of an “active security incident,” then later said the bridges had reopened.
Cárdenas Rodríguez is the son of José Alfredo Cárdenas Martínez, known as “El Contador,” who leads the Cyclones, and a relative of former Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cárdenas Guillén. The Gulf Cartel is one of eight Mexican groups the United States has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
What we don't know yet: Mexico News Daily gave no count of roadblocks, injuries or deaths, and it was not reported whether churches or ministries in the area were affected.
