U.S. Consulate in Mexico Showered With Gunfire Following Arrest of Gang Boss
(Photo : Photo by Ulises Ruiz / AFP) (Photo credit should read ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Following the arrest of a gang leader, the U.S. consulate in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo was attacked by gunfire overnight, and trailers were set ablaze on city streets, authorities said on Monday.
Shots were fired at the consulate and Mexican military premises amid gunfights and pursuits in portions of the city, which is located across the border from Laredo, Texas, the Tamaulipas state ministry of public security said in a statement.
Laredo is the United States' largest commercial land port of entry with 1.9 million trucks crossing from Mexico in 2021.
According to the statement, suspected gang members halted traffic in Nuevo Laredo early Monday by blocking highways with spike strips and burning trailer trucks.
Employees at the U.S. consulate were instructed to remain indoors, and American citizens were asked to do the same or avoid the area. The consulate will be temporarily closed to the public, according to a later announcement from the Mexican government, per The Hill.
A senior Tamaulipas official told Reuters there was at least one "collateral" death resulting from the violence.
Gunfire Erupted Following Arrest of Gang Boss
The gunfire erupted late Sunday after the arrest of a leader of one faction of the Northeast Cartel, the successor group to the old Zetas Cartel, as well as the boss of hitman group Tropas del Infierno (Troops from Hell).
Juan Gerardo Trevino, or "El Huevo," is one of the most wanted criminals on the list of U.S. Border Patrol. He is the nephew of detained drug lord Miguel Angel Trevino, a former leader of the Los Zetas drug cartel, Mexico's most bloodthirsty gang.
Trevino, who is also a U.S. citizen, is facing a U.S. extradition order for drug trafficking and money laundering. He also has standing arrest warrants in Mexico for murder, terrorism, extortion, and criminal association, the defense ministry said.
According to Mexico's government, the arrest represents a "forceful blow" to the cartel's power in the region, Reuters reported.
In a later statement, the government stated that it was committed to security cooperation with the U.S., and those criminal organizations involved in the incident will face the weight of both nations' laws.
Mexico Trapped in Spiral of Cartel-Related Violence Since 2006
Residents posted footage on social media showing cars and trucks being set on fire, as well as heavy and prolonged bursts of gunfire.
Following the violence, Mayor Carmen Canturosas of Nuevo Laredo urged residents to take "extreme precautions," while the government stated it would dispatch security reinforcements to the city.
Since the government launched a controversial anti-drug military operation in 2006, Mexico has been locked in a spiral of cartel-related bloodshed.
There have been more than 340,000 murders since then, most of them blamed on fighting between criminals, according to official figures.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
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