On Friday, a highway shootout between gunmen from two rival drug cartels occurred near the city of Jimenez in the border state of Tamaulipas, with up to 15 armored SUVs being used by each side, Breitbart Texas reported.
Several of the vehicles seized after the shootout ended suggest that the Cartel Jalisco New Generation might be operating in the region. According to Breitbart, the group allegedly works with a faction of the Gulf Cartel.
The vehicles seized had the letters CJNG painted on the sides, indicating they belong to the Cartel Jalisco New Generation, which is considered one of the most vicious drug cartels in the region. It has been linked to grenade attacks and targets the innocent as a way to intimidate. The cartel is also known to use car bombs and IEDs.
Authorities in Tamaulipas have released only minimal information about the shootout. But law enforcement sources told Breitbart Texas that the incident took place just outside of Jimenez where rival gunmen faced off in a shootout while moving along the highway connecting Ciudad Victoria with San Fernando.
According to the source, the gunmen then pulled up to a Tamaulipas State Guard highway station and left the scene.
After the clash ended, the police reviewed the path of the shootout, finding some vehicles crashed and three gunmen dead.
In a span of two weeks, law enforcement officials in Tamaulipas have found over 23 cartel gunmen dead as rival drug cartels fight over territories.
Two main factions of the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas, the Escorpiones/Ciclones from Matamoros and the Metros from Reynosa, have each established alliances with the Cartel Jalisco New Generation and the Sinaloa Cartel respectively. These cartels move their drugs through Gulf Cartel territory but until recently, have kept their gunman out of the state of Tamaulipas.
