“The state of Texas defines „spillover violence‟ as Mexican Cartel-related violence that occurs in Texas, including aggravated assault, extortion, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder. The victims of these crimes include illegal immigrants being smuggled into the United States, Mexican or U.S. citizens working with the Cartels or their innocent family members, and those who are not associated in any way with the Cartels or transnational gangs.” –Director Steve McCraw, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Mexico Spillover: From 2005 – 2011

2011

February 2011

On Saturday, 02-05-11 at approximately 16:00, three teenagers were shot to death at the Super Autos Porvenir car lot in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Two of the victims, Juan Carlos Echeverri-Luna and Carlos Mario Gonzalez-Bermudez were U.S. citizens attending private schools in El Paso, Texas. The third victim, Cesar Yalin MIRAMONTES-Jimenez was a Mexican National and a student at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Ciudad Juarez, Mx. (EPIC, Texas Rangers, Associated Press http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=13990800 )

On 02/06/11, information received from a Houston CHS who has proven to be very reliable in the past provided the following information: "Gulf Cartel in Nuevo Laredo is planning on having a female or maybe a male walk across Laredo International Bridge 1 POE and drop a live hand grenade toward the US Border Patrol underneath Bridge I. The purpose of the grenade attack is to create an incident where to place blame on the Zetas." (FBI)

Received on 02-11-11 that FBI Houston re-contacted FBI-Laredo for dissemination that a highly placed Sub-Source of CHS who is a Ministerial Police with direct contact with HERIBERTO LAZCANO-LAZCANO unwittingly provided information as to a planned grenade attack at the Laredo POE Bridge I IN NUEVO LAREDO. Prior reporting indicated it was the U.S. side. This has resulted from a rift between the LAZCA and MIGUEL TREVINO where Zetas have been asked to take sides. LAZCA is sponsoring the grenade attack in efforts to motivate forces to “eliminate” Miguel Trevino’s men. As of 02/10/2011 the CHS reiterated the attack is supposed to be realized WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. (FBI McAllen)

On 02/15/11 McAllen TX — Investigators believe gunmen tied to the Zetas cartel fatally shot a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent from Brownsville TDY to Mexico City during a highway attack in central Mexico — a potentially pivotal moment in U.S. policy toward drug cartels south of the border. (Source-The Monitor)

On 02/16/2011 authority’s temporarily halted traffic at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge after a suspect hit a customs agent with a car while traveling southbound, carjacked another vehicle and escaped into Reynosa, Mexico. Shots were fired at the vehicle as it exited the U.S. Mexico officials 1

reportedly surrounded the vehicle. The U.S customs agent was not seriously injured. (Source: CBP Pharr)

January 2011

In January 2011 USCG reported 39 Lancha sightings in the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas/Mexico border which is greater than the previous 5 months combined. (USCG)

On 01/04/11 three female and eight male Mexican Nationals were reported crossing the levee near Jackson road in Hidalgo, TX. A border fence construction worker advised that one of the suspects displayed a handgun and threatened him to remain silent regarding their presence in the area. The suspects then boarded a Ford F150 pickup and left the location. (RGV JOIC)

On 01/13/11 on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande River across from Indian Hot Springs area, Texas, a shootout between Mexican Military and an unidentified DTO was reported. Stray bullets from the shootout crossed the border reportedly striking a Hudspeth County, Texas work truck while operated by two employees. Texas Ranger strike teams were redirected to work the incident area with 6 additional THP units working IH-10 around Fort Hancock, Texas. (Texas Rangers)

On 01/13/11 La Joya Police Department, Texas in pursuit of a Chevrolet Suburban encountered several caltrops manually discharged by suspects in vehicle disabling 3 law enforcement units. The suspects were observed driving the vehicle into the Rio Grande River where ten or more Mexican DTO members were waiting with a metal hull boat to unload bundles from the Suburban. One suspect was seen with a handgun on the U.S. side and numerous armed suspects were on the Mexican side of the river. No arrests or seizures were made. (McAllen JOIC)

On 01/26/11 a U.S. missionary was shot and killed while in Mexico. The woman was shot in the head after she and her husband were ambushed by gunmen while driving from Monterrey to Reynosa, MX. The husband rushed her to a hospital in McAllen, Texas where she passed away shortly after. (RGV JOIC)

On 01/30/11, Alberto Muñoz, a Georgia truck driver, survived an attempted carjacking at the hands of Zeta gunmen while travelling to Veracruz to visit relatives. A group of Zetas attempted to steal his truck near San Fernando, MX, same town where missionary Nancy Davis was fatally shot on January 26th, during a carjacking attempt. Muñoz was beaten and then released when he identified himself as being from Veracruz. Muñoz crossed into the U.S. on the Veterans International Bridge. ( THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD, )

2010

December 2010

On 12/30/10 a Laredo Police Department radio transmission reported shots fired on the Mexican side of Rio Grande River, across from Father McNaboe Park (Laredo, Texas), west of World Trade Bridge. The 2

park was evacuated with one male suspect carrying a hand gun seen hiding on the Mexican side of the river. Mexican Military advised the suspect was taken into custody after a sweep of the area. (Laredo JOIC)

November 2010

On 11/01/10, a 9-year-old Valley girl was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle in Matamoros, Mexico. She was shot in the chest. She is in stable condition at a Brownsville, Texas hospital. Few details were released at air time, but CHANNEL 5 NEWS confirmed a Brownsville EMS crew picked up the child from a Matamoros ambulance. (Channel 5 News media)

On 11/02/10 at approximately 20:00 hrs, two University of Texas-El Paso students were shot and killed in Juarez, Mexico. (El Paso Intelligence Center [EPIC])

On 11/11/10 THP in Webb County conducted a traffic stop on US-83 NB on a 2005 GMC Sierra PK on five Mexican Nationals. A subsequent investigation by USBP returned statements indicating three of the suspects were being transported to Laredo, Texas for the purpose of crossing into Nuevo Laredo, MX to initiate an attack on Zetas Cartel members. The suspects were to meet with Gulf Cartel members currently in Nuevo Laredo. (DHS)

On 11/13/10 at approximately 03:00am Zapata County SO dispatch received an anonymous telephone call from a Hispanic male advising in Spanish he was with the Zeta Cartel warning the deputies to “be careful”. Dispatch reported possibly hearing gun fire in the background. (Laredo JOIC)

On 11/14/10 DPS Aviation provided air support for Mission Police Department, Texas and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) during the extraction of a Chevrolet Suburban containing marijuana involved in a pursuit from the Rio Grande River. Multiple Mexican DTO suspects and vehicles were gathered on the Mexico side observing the vehicle extraction. The vehicle was loaded with 2,274 lbs of marijuana. (DPS Region 3)

In November 2011, El Paso Police Officers in west El Paso, Texas reported being under surveillance at their residences by unknown subjects. Neighbors of one officer witnessed a Ford Mustang bearing Chihuahua (MX) plates with three males and one female taking pictures of the Officer’s police vehicle license plates, as well as the front and back yard of his home. (DHS)

In November 2011, a suspect arrested for burglarizing DPS vehicles in McAllen, Texas notified the arresting agency that a Mexican DTO instructed gang members on the U.S. side of the border to target law enforcement vehicles belonging to Texas Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s office investigators, and Police officers with take home units. The Mexican DTOs advised the gang members that local law enforcement officers store their long rifles in their vehicle trunks and instructed the gang members to burglarize their vehicles to steal officers’ weapons. (FBI)

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October 2010

On 10/02/10 USBP agents were caught in a gun battle between DTO members and Mexican Military along the Rio Grande River in Fronton, Texas. 50-60 rounds were fired by DTO traffickers and Mexican Military. DTO members attempted to cross the river into Texas while fleeing from Mexican Military. The TxFC has received confirmation that the USBP agents were giving new agents a tour as part of their orientation to the RGV when the event occurred. (USBP)

On 10/03/10 two males were shot dead inside a vehicle with a Mexican License plate on FM 511 near the Border Patrol Station in Brownsville, Texas. The assailants are suspected to be Mexican Cartel members that crossed into Texas. (USBP)

On 10/06/10 a call was received into the DPS TxFC from a citizen who stated he had also been shot at on Falcon Lake. (DPS)

On 10/12/10 the severed head of the lead Mexican investigator into the Falcon Lake (Mexico side) shooting incident, Rolando Armando Flores-Villegas, Tamaulipas State Police Commander, was found outside the Mexican Army’s temporary headquarters in that area. Flores-Villegas was communicating with U.S. authorities while investigating the shooting death of U.S. citizen David Hartley, which occurred on the Mexico side of Falcon Lake. (Laredo Joint Operations Intelligence Center [JOIC])

On 10/12/10 a vehicle was struck by a bullet at the Galvan Ranch, 50 miles north of Laredo, Texas. The shots were received approximately 200 yards from the Mexico side of the Rio Grande River, with the vehicle sustaining damage to its rear window. DPS, Webb County Sheriff’s Office *SO], USBP Laredo West, and National Guard Aviation responded. (Laredo JOIC)

On 10/14/10 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Brownsville, Texas Gateway International Bridge conducted an outbound inspection on an unspecified vehicle, seizing two AK-47 assault rifles and four ammo clips. The weapons were wrapped in foil and concealed in the rear quarter panel. The driver (Mexican citizen) was paid $300 to take the weapons into Mexico. The straw-purchaser (U.S. citizen) was paid $275 to buy the weapons. Both men arrested were in their early 20s with no prior U.S. convictions. (CBP)

On 10/20/10 Fort Bliss U.S. National Guardsman, Jose Gil Hernandez, and a second victim were gunned down in South Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Both were shot multiple times, with 18 shell casings found at the scene. Hernandez had no criminal history or gang affiliation. (http://lapolaka.com/2010/10/20/oficial- de-fort-bliss-marcha-en-juaritos/)

On 10/24/10 a USBP agent in Granjeno, Texas fired gunshots at a man in Mexico who pointed a handgun at the agent during an immigrant smuggling attempt in the Riverside area. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_10789916)

On 10/25/10, the Mexican Military was attacked by Los Zetas cartel gunmen on the military residential complex on the corner of Anahuac and Cesar Lopez de Lara, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The military fired at a black Suburban carrying two males; Armando Gonzales, a U.S. citizen (associated with Los Zetas), was 4

shot four times and is in critical condition at a local hospital. The second male fled on foot and has not been identified. Inside the vehicle, weapons and tactical vests were located. Gonzales has a California and Texas driver license, and family in Laredo, Texas. Gonzales has been associated with Zeta “Quemado” who used to be Plaza Boss in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. (Laredo JOIC)

On 10/26/10 a shooting in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico led to cross-border traffic being stopped for 20 minutes at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, Texas. Mexican officials stopped U.S. bound traffic and asked U.S. authorities to suspend southbound traffic headed towards Mexico. Upon further investigation, Grupo Savant learned that three off-duty Mexican federal police officers were the victims of the shooting that prompted the bridge hold. (www.gruposavant.com)

On 10/26/10 Armando Francisco Gonzales, a 20-year old U.S. citizen of Laredo, Texas was allegedly shot by Mexican military forces in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Gonzales was shot while driving a Black Chevrolet Tahoe with Texas plates. He sustained wounds to the head and body and, according to Mexican officials, lay on the ground at the scene for almost two hours before being provided medical assistance. (www.gruposavant.com)

On 10/28/10 near Los Ebanos, Texas, USBP at the Rio Grande City station seized several high powered weapons and ammunition to include three assault rifles, one shotgun, a hand gun, and close to 9000 rounds of ammunition from a pick-up truck. As Border Patrol agents were approaching, the passengers ditched the truck to get away on a boat by the river back into Mexico. (USBP)

On 10/30/10, a 24-year-old woman was killed inside a tortilla shop in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Lorena Izaguirre was a U.S. citizen and an El Paso, Texas resident. A Mexican man was also found dead in the store. (El Paso Times)

On 10/30/10, at approximately 02:00 am, four National Guardsmen assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector were assaulted by Valluco gang members outside a bar in McAllen, Texas. Law Enforcement apprehended 2 suspects. (Rio Grande Valley [RGV] Border Intelligence Center [BIC])

On 10/30/10 four subjects on the way to El Paso, Texas, from Juarez, Mexico were shot by an armed command of organized criminals near the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge on the Mexican side. The shooting resulted in one man and two women (U.S. citizens) dead. Two of the deceased have suspected ties to narcotics smuggling. The fourth victim, a teenager, was able to avoid gunfire. (Department of Homeland Security [DHS])

On 10/31/10 the Anzalduas Dam operator in Mission, Texas reported that two subjects on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River fired on him using an unidentified long arm. It was determined that four shots were fired, all of which hit the dam. (USBP-McAllen)

On 10/31/10 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Edgar Lopez, 35, of El Paso, Texas, was killed along with two Mexican men when gunmen opened fire on a group standing outside a house. (El Paso Times)

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More than 35 Americans died in Juarez, Mexico, between January 1st and October 31st, 2010, while 39 Americans died there in 2008 and 2009 combined, according to U.S. State Department records. (Maggie Ybarra, El Paso Times, posted 11/02/10)

September 2010

On 09/08/10 an unknown DTO is using a cloned Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) game warden boat on the Mexican side of the Falcon Reservoir. The identification on the boat was misspelled as “Game Wardeen.” (TPWD)

On 09/10/10 near Granjeno, Texas officers in pursuit followed a narcotic loaded vehicle to the river. USBP agents heard approximately 30 shots, causing them to take cover. No muzzle blasts were seen in their direction, although the shooting was obviously near their location. (USBP)

On 09/12/10 after a pursuit ended near Anzalduas Dam point of entry (POE), USBP ground and marine agents surrounded the vehicle. USBP boat agents were fired upon. Rounds hit the water around the boat. USBP marine agents returned fire. (USBP)

On 09/12/10 USBP at the Roma POE received uncorroborated information indicating a criminal organization in Mexico was attempting to gather CBP employee license plate numbers in order to identify their home addresses. (USBP)

On 09/15/10 United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that in Del Rio, Texas United States District Judge Alia Moses Ludlum sentenced Elvis Roberto Lambert-Benedict, a 31-year-old Honduran national, to 57 months in federal prison for assaulting two federal agents and possession of marijuana. Assault occurred on 05/28/09

Texas Rangers are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the 9/16/10 kidnapping at gunpoint of an Alton, Texas resident (former police officer from Michoacán, Mexico). Rangers are reporting one arrest: the driver for this kidnapping ring. The leader was identified with a name/nickname and suspected to be associated with a Mexican cartel. This is an ongoing investigation. The DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism (ICT) Division is providing analytical support. (Texas Rangers)

On 09/23/10 at approximately 16:00hrs Laredo 911 received three calls making bomb threats on POE bridges. The calls originated from the Mexican side near the World Trade Bridge and were from a Sprint cell phone. All three bridges were closed for a short time and have since been reopened. (Laredo JOIC)

On 09/30/10 in Cameron County, Texas, two Mexican National males were found dead with gunshot wounds to the chest inside a vehicle displaying Mexican plates on FM 511 near the USBP Station in Brownsville. Brownsville PD is investigating. (DPS Texas Highway Patrol [THP])

On 09/30/10 a male U.S. Citizen was shot and killed while on a jet ski in the Mexican waters of Falcon Lake. The victim and his wife were approached by three boats each with armed individuals. The couple tried to escape and the male U.S. citizen was shot in the head by automatic gun fire. (Texas Rangers)

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On 09/30/10 a student at the University of Texas-Brownsville was killed after cartel members hijacked a bus in Mexico. He was visiting family near Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, Mexico. http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/tsc-117748-university-utb.html

August 2010

On 08/02/10 a Zeta cartel assassin was brought before a federal judge in Brownsville, Texas to set bail. Luis Alberto Blanco Flores was charged with illegal re-entry into the country and remanded to custody. Flores is suspected of being involved with a June 2009 attack on a Matamoras, Mexico police station leaving 7 officers dead. (news media)

On 08/06/10 U.S. Citizen Patrick Barnes from El Paso, Texas was shot in the back in a small Colonia near Juarez, Mexico across the border from the University of Texas at El Paso. Police suspect he was the victim of a robbery not related to DTOs (El Paso Times, Posted 11/02/2010)

On 08/13/10 Falcon Lake pirates attempted to stop a U.S. fisherman on Falcon Lake with a small boat marked “Game Wardin,” possibly mimicking TPWD vessels operating in Texas waters. The Texas fisherman knew, due to DPS alerts and misspelling of duct-taped letters that something was wrong and outran the Mexican vessel to safety. (Texas Rangers)

On 08/17/10 El Paso SO conducted an investigation on a terroristic threat case where the victim was told to leave her residence by 3 suspects possibly connected to the “El Chapo” Guzman Sinaloa Cartel. The victim knows the threats against her are related to a lost load of narcotics in which her husband had been the driver of a vehicle and the load was seized. (El Paso JOIC)

During the period of 08/19/10 through 08/25/10, a USBP agent was assaulted by an unknown suspect while responding to a report of suspected illegal aliens (IA) near Cotulla, Texas. The assailant threw a makeshift spear at the agent causing a non life threatening injury. The assailant escaped. (Border Security Operations Center [BSOC])

On 08/21/10 at approximately 18:45hrs a shoot-out occurred between Mexican Federal Police and unknown gunmen in Juarez, Mexico. Gun shots traversed the U.S./Mexico border near the El Paso intersection of Paisano and Santa Fe. No injuries on the U.S. side were reported. Interstate 10 and Union Pacific Railroad were reported closed for an undisclosed time.

On 08/22/10 an 18 year old female was kidnapped in San Juan, Texas, and transported into Mexico where the kidnappers called her parents and demanded ransom money. The kidnappers are suspected of abducting the wrong female due to her release in an open field in Reynosa, Mexico. The female was located and turned over to U.S. authorities. (Texas Rangers)

On 08/24/10 at approximately 20:30hrs an explosive device was thrown in the area of the Mexican Customs Office opposite the B&M POE south of Brownsville, Texas, causing a loud detonation. Southbound traffic was suspended shortly at the request of the GOM with northbound travelers reporting Mexican Military having roadblocks and checkpoints near the area. At 21:05hrs, southbound traffic at the B&M POE resumed normal operations with Rapid Response Teams placed on standby. The RGV OAM responded with an Omaha 3TU helicopter sent to the area. (RGV JOIC) 7

On 08/31/10, Edgar “La Barbie” Villarreal was captured by the Government of Mexico along with 6 associate criminals which included another Laredo, Texas, citizen JORGE VALATIN LANDA CORONADO, 28. LANDA was wanted by U.S. authorities for escaping from custody in Laredo, Texas and has a history of transporting currency, assault charges, and discharging a firearm in a city. LANDA and La Barbie were part of the Beltran Leyva Mexican Cartel that smuggled tons of cocaine into the U.S. (El Norte Mexican news media)

July 2010

On 07/01/10 Jesús Ernesto Chávez Castillo was arrested by Mexican authorities for being a Barrio Azteca leader and hit man for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel. Castillo is accused of the murder of U.S. Consulate personnel on 03/13/10 in Juarez; reportedly targeting the employee for facilitating visas to members of La Linea, a rival group. (El Paso JOIC)

On 07/09/10 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a Pharr police officer, for attempting to buy weapons and body armor for a Mexican Drug Cartel. The officer is suspected of having family ties to a high ranking Zeta Cartel member detained in Mexico City with suspected additional links to law enforcement. (FBI)

The Zaragoza-Ysleta International Bridge that connects El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, was closed on 07/11/10 around 01:00hrs and was re-opened around 07:00hrs. The reason for the closure was a suspected shootout between a group of hitmen and federal police officers that occurred near the bridge in the Zaragoza Waterfill area of Juarez.

On 07/11/10 a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe was pursued by El Paso PD for leaving the scene of an accident and heading toward the Mexican border. CBP-OFO officers at the Ysleta POE shot at the vehicle attempting to stop it as it sped south toward the toll booth. The vehicle passed through the POE into Mexico at high speed. The vehicle, which was possibly involved in a kidnapping in El Paso, was later found burned with two bodies inside in the Zaragoza area where a gun battle had occurred between rival DTOs. (El Paso JOIC)

During the period of 07/08/10–07/14/10 Zavala County SO arrested two members of the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano (PRM) prison gang following a pursuit. The PRM gang members were in two vehicles traveling in tandem. The driver of one vehicle intentionally struck a Zavala County SO unit and then attempted to flee on foot. Deputies were able to capture and arrest the suspect. (Laredo JOIC)

On 07/17/10 Mexican Federal Police arrested three suspected La Linea hit men; one of the suspects has been implicated in the murder of four people in Juarez on 07/14/10. Mexican Federal Police also seized four stolen vehicles, 2 of which were registered in Texas, along with an AR-15, a .45 cal. pistol, six magazines, and 338 rounds of ammunition. The Mexican Federal Prosecutor is continuing the investigation.

On 07/28/10 a Juarez, Mexico City transit police officer is in custody without bond at the El Paso County jail on suspicion of arms-trafficking. Suspect was arrested on the El Paso side of border. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) is investigating. 8

On 07/31/10 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a truck driving close to the POE Bridge #1 threw a grenade onto a nearby truck and it exploded. The suspected target was the Mexican Immigration Station located on the Mexican side of Bridge #1 (Gateway to the Americas Bridge) connecting with Laredo, Texas. The bridge was closed for several hours.

JUNE 2010

During the period of 06/03/10–06/09/10, TPWD game wardens patrolling the Rio Grande River were assaulted by two suspects they encountered crossing from the U.S. to Mexico in a raft, and were threatened by several suspects on the Mexico side of the river. The wardens took evasive action and the raft continued into Mexico where seven suspects carried off seven large bundles hidden along the Mexican side of river. A CBP helicopter arrived and observed three trucks leaving the area loaded with the bundles. No contraband or suspects were discovered on the U.S. side. (RGV JOIC)

On 06/07/10 an El Paso USBP agent shot and killed a teenage male after being assaulted. Several suspects attempted to cross into the U.S. when USBP agents pushed back and apprehended 1 suspect. The other suspects from the Mexico side began throwing rocks at arresting agent when the agent fired upon suspects. The FBI is investigating.

On 06/10/10 news media on “Project Deliverance,” a multi-agency investigation including ICE, Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], and FBI, led to the arrest of Sullivan City, Texas police chief. He is involved in the two-year investigation focusing on suspects who aided Mexico’s drug cartels. A total of 26 RGV residents were detained, part of the 2,200 people across 16 states indicted due to this investigation. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 40 years in prison.

On 06/12/10 USBP El Paso reported demonstrators assembling in Mexico, crossing over the river to throw rocks at agents, then returning to Mexico side of river. El Paso PD, Office of Field Operations, and Mexican Federal Police were called to disperse the crowd. No injuries or property damage occurred.

On 06/13/10 four Mexico nationals were taken into custody following a fatal shooting at a north McAllen shopping center. Police said all four suspects may be related to the victim. (McAllen PD)

On 06/18/10 Del Rio PD conducted traffic stop on Chrysler Sebring with Mexican tags and seized 11 assault rifles. The suspect was taxi driver from Acuna, Mexico.

On 06/20/10 Zapata Co SO learned of a Zeta operation named “Pintando Un Cuatro” calling for women to lure men and abduct them to be taken possibly to San Ygnacio, drugged, beaten, transported to Mexico and killed. USBP will be on lookout for drunks transported by females northbound between Zapata and San Ygnacio and Zapata deputies will patrol U.S. 83 between these cities more intensely.

On 06/23/10 RGV Border Patrol agents advised four government vehicles were disabled by homemade spikes while pursuing a narcotics load near La Grulla, Texas. The vehicle carrying narcotics reached the river, and as agents approached the load vehicle, a suspect threw a Molotov cocktail at the load vehicle attempting to destroy the evidence.

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On 06/24/10 in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, the Mission, Texas, City Manager’s father was shot in the leg while caught in the crossfire of a suspected Gulf/Zeta Cartel shootout. The FBI and CBP assisted in bringing the victim back to U.S. where he underwent surgery. (RGV JOIC)

On 06/28/10 a resident of Edinburg, Texas was killed in the crossfire of a gun battle between Mexican cartels on Mexican Highway #2 near Cuidad Mier, Mexico. The victim was traveling from Escobedo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, into the U.S.

On 06/29/10 seven bullets struck the El Paso City Hall with one round penetrating a window on the 9th floor, and six others lodging in the building’s west wall. During the time of the incident two Mexican Federal Police Officers were ambushed in Juárez, Mexico. It is believed that the rounds came from that ambush, and that El Paso City Hall was not directly targeted. There were no injuries in El Paso. (El Paso JOIC)

MAY 2010

On 05/02/10 suspected members of Los Zetas Cartel attempted to interdict two DEA vehicles as they were driving between the Nuevo Laredo, Mexico airport and Laredo, Texas. Both vehicles managed to break contact. No casualties were sustained. Both agents and their families were evacuated that evening. (DEA)

On 05/02/10 Mexican authorities identified a Sugar Land teenager (eighteen year old female) found beaten to death near Mina, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, fifty miles west of Laredo. A traffic accident was reportedly staged in an attempt to cover up the murder of the teen and two accompanying adult males. The mother of the teen indicated her daughter was recruited to participate in alien smuggling. The investigation is ongoing with Houston PD, U.S. Marshals, and Mexico officials.

On 05/03/10 a group of migrants that had been smuggled into the U.S. days earlier were being held against their will by the home’s caretaker in Alamo, Texas. When the group banded together and refused to pay the additional smuggling fees, Palmillas hired a group of men to break into the stash house, beat them and make it look like a home invasion, the immigrants purportedly told ICE agents.

On 05/03/10 an illegal alien with reported mental conditions shot another illegal alien in the stomach near Hurd Villegas Ranch, approximately 35 miles west of Hebbronville. A handgun and rifle with scope were reported to be hidden in the brush. USBP conducted a search of the area but did not locate the rifle. The suspect has not been located.

On 05/05/10, at approximately 18:30hrs, Laredo South USBP camera operator advised of two subjects coming across to the U.S. side at the end of Cadena St. in El Cenizo, Texas. Laredo South USBP agents responded to the river banks and two subjects absconded back to Mexico. One of the subjects dropped a green duffel bag which contained a metal container with a foreign language (possibly Russian) written on the outside of the box. The Laredo Bomb Squad and ATF were called to the scene. Webb County SO dispatched a bomb sniffing canine. The metal can contained approximately 1,260 rounds of (7.62) ammo.

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On 05/06/10 at Falcon Lake, three bass fishermen (U.S. citizens) were fishing approximately ¼ mile from Marker 14 on the north side of Salado Island (Mexican waters) on top of the ruins (Old Guerrero) and were robbed at gunpoint by 2 men in black carrying AR15s and operating a small fishing vessel.

On 05/08/10 a Spanish-language flyer was placed on a vehicle in Brownsville, Texas. The flyer warned that this weekend (May 15-17, 2010) will be the “most violent weekends in all of Mexican history.” Members of an unidentified DTO plan to battle an unspecified rival criminal organization. (DPS)

On 05/09/10 about 17:00hrs, a shooting occurred on the Mexican side of Rio Grande River at the Acala Head Gates. Five men were fishing on the Mexican side when a vehicle pulled up and started shooting. One man was killed and four were wounded. The wounded crossed the river into Texas. The wounded were taken by Hudspeth County ambulance to a hospital in El Paso, accompanied by a Hudspeth County Sheriff Deputy. At last report the Mexican Military was at the scene and the body of the deceased man was still lying along the bank of the Rio Grande River on the Mexican side. (JOIC El Paso)

On 05/10/10 Chihuahua, Mexico state police confirmed that three of the four bodies found in the back of a pickup in east Juárez were those of U.S. citizens abducted during a wedding. Mexican police found four bodies with signs of torture in the covered bed of a Toyota Tacoma with Texas license plates.

On 05/14/10 Roma PD and DPS detained three Mexican IAs, including an alleged high-ranking Zeta member, following a traffic stop on FM 640. All three were referred to USBP.

On 05/16/10 USBP observed a suspect in a raft on the U.S. bank of the river in Del Rio, Texas. When the suspect saw the USBP agents, he stated that he had a gun. Agents took cover and the suspect fled into Mexico. Agents used canine units and located three sugar sack bundles containing 199 lbs of marijuana and the suspect hiding in the brush.

On 05/16/10 TPWD received a call from USBP requesting assistance. A call had been received regarding some boaters that were approached by a Titan boat with five (5) subjects on board. The suspected vessel approached the bass fishermen in Texas waters on Falcon Lake near Marker 7 and attempted to rob them. It is unknown if the robbers were successful. Game wardens responded to the given location but were unable to locate the suspect vessel.

On 05/19/10 a shootout occurred between Mexican cartel members and the Mexican Military in Nuevo Laredo. A vehicle involved in the shootout was located on 05/20/2010 containing two dead bodies near the homes of State Department and DEA employees. The vehicle is registered to an individual in Corpus Christi. (Laredo JOIC)

On 05/20/10, Zapata County SO and DPS issued a warning to USCs to avoid the Mexican side of Falcon Lake and to be cautious of armed men robbing American boaters. Incidents have been increasing at Falcon Lake, with one robbery occurring on the U.S. side. (DPS)

On 05/20/10 five suspects with ties to Valluco Soldiers invaded a home near Edinburg, Texas expecting to raid a stash house but instead found illegal migrant workers. One suspect shot a worker. Two of the five suspects were arrested. http://www.themonitor.com/articles/shooting-38915-arrested-tip.html

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On 05/20/10 two Hispanic men entered the Air Force recruiting office in McAllen and identified themselves as Mexican Federal Police wanting to purchase bullet-proof vests and holsters. The two men were unarmed and had no credentials. The men exited the office without incident. (Texas National Guard)

On 05/22/10 Del Rio PD advised of a shooting/robbery victim arriving at the Del Rio POE and transported to Del Rio regional hospital. The victim, reportedly from Brady, Texas, was visiting family in Cuidad Acuna, Mexico when he was shot and his vehicle taken.

On 05/23/10 a 19-year-old UTEP student Alejandro Ruiz Salazar was shot by gunmen in Juarez, Mexico. (Maggie Ybarra \ El Paso Times, Posted 11/02/2010)

On 05/24/10 CBP Brownsville Southbound conducted inspection on a 2007 Chrysler Sebring and seized 1,994 rounds of (.223) ammunition. Two U.S. citizens purchased the ammunition from a gun shop in McAllen and were smuggling it into Matamoros, Mexico. Both suspects were arrested.

On 05/26/10 USBP Laredo South (LRS) conducted an immigration inspection on two male suspects at the Americano’s Bus station in Laredo. Suspects are believed to be linked to a DTO involving two female body carriers apprehended by LRS agents at the Americano’s Bus Station on 04/29/10. Suspects may have crossed into Mexico to purchase narcotics and have others carry or transport it via bus through the checkpoint. USBP advises subjects carrying for this DTO may present Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Maryland Identification Cards.

On 5/26/10 at least three men shot and killed a San Juan resident during a home invasion. Investigators believe the attack was a botched kidnapping ordered by the Gulf Cartel. (San Juan PD)

APRIL 2010

On 04/01/10 sources reported that at least thirty residents of El Porvenir, Chihuahua, Mexico located about four miles from the Texas border town of Fort Hancock, Texas crossed into the U.S. and asked for admission under credible fear of life. Fort Hancock was on high alert and preparing for a surge of illegal immigrants should a street battle break out involving Sinaloa and Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartels. (Marfa JOIC/Texas Rangers)

During the period 04/01/10 through 04/02/10, several subjects in Mexico threw rocks at USBP agents who were attempting to apprehend four subjects near Ysleta. Two Service vehicles suffered minor damage, but no injuries were reported. (USBP)

During the period of 04/01/10 through 04/02/10 a USBP agent attempted to interdict a group carrying contraband in a rural area south of Laredo; one of the suspects attempted to take the agent's weapon. During the struggle, the agent fired one round at close range killing the suspect. (USBP)

During the period of 04/01/10 through 04/02/10 USBP agents recovered a vehicle that had been involved in narcotics smuggling near Hidalgo. During the recovery the agents were assaulted with rocks thrown by a group of suspects (Mexico side) causing an agent to fire his weapon. No injuries were reported. (USBP) 12

On 04/02/10 a USBP agent shot and killed an unarmed man on the banks of the Rio Grande following a foot chase and a struggle. An agent caught up with one of the smugglers, and the pair struggled in the brush before the agent shot the man once in the chest. http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_14809256?source=most_viewed (expired link)

On 04/02/10 Zapata County SO received information that Los Zetas Cartel associates, Los Zetitas, were going to kidnap a drug trafficker that lost a load belonging to the Zetas. A traffic stop was conducted and two suspects were arrested. The occupants of the vehicle told authorities of three other suspects leading to their arrests. All five suspects were Mexican Nationals. (JOIC BIC, Laredo)

On 04/06/10 a USBP unit patrolling near El Paso had a window shattered by suspects throwing rocks from the Mexican side of the border. No injuries reported. (USBP)

Roma PD reported that on 04/06/10 two separate carjacking incidents involving women occurred in Mexico. An Austin resident reported armed men stopped her on the Cuidad Guerrero Highway in Mexico and stole her 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe. A separate incident occurred near the Roma POE when armed men stopped a woman two blocks from the Roma POE in Mexico and stole her 2007 Jeep Commander. Cartels may be targeting women in large SUVs on Mexican roadways to acquire smuggling vehicles. (Roma PD)

On 04/07/10 Laredo USBP interviewed a Mara Salvatrucha transnational gang member from El Salvador who claimed he and 10 others were kidnapped by Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico police and turned over to the Gulf Cartel for extortion. One of the kidnapped men was killed. The Gulf Cartel believed the kidnapped men were affiliated with Los Zetas, but the man interviewed claimed no affiliation. (USBP)

On 04/10/10, the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico across from Laredo, Texas, was bombed with an Austrian grenade which caused no structural damage or injuries. Intelligence indicates that the Los Zetas cartel is obtaining these grenades from Guatemala. The San Antonio FBI will continue the investigation. The U.S. Consulate will remain closed at least through Monday, April 12, 2010. (USBP)

On 04/12/10, the American Consulate in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across from El Paso, Texas received a bomb threat at 06:00hrs. Mexican federal and local police investigated and cleared the scene. This marks the second bomb threat received at the consulate in Juarez for the year. (El Paso JOIC, 04/14/10)

On 04/14/10 four possible Zetas members in Zapata may be attempting to carry out an unfinished hit on a resident in the Zapata area which occurred on 04/02/2010. Zapata County SO is actively searching for a 2000 Chevy Tahoe, Gray Nissan SUV, and White Dodge Durango. (Zapata County SO)

On 04/14/10 several armed subjects (suspected Zetas) blocked a roadway and stole seven to eight vehicles from motorists. The road block was near a checkpoint on the Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon state line in Mexico. In one incident a family traveling home to Penitas, Texas was forced out of their 2001 Jeep Cherokee and stripped of their belongings. The gunmen departed with the vehicles with no injuries reported to the motorists. This information is uncorroborated but considered reliable. (RGV JOIC)

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On 04/15/10, USBP agents assisted by CBP-OFO seized 550 rounds of .22 cal ammunition from a southbound vehicle at the Eagle Pass POE in Maverick County. The subject was carrying the hollow point ammunition in her purse. (Del Rio JOIC)

On 04/18/10 Hidalgo County SO deputies responded to an attack on a Valluco gang member at a baptism party in Edinburg. The victim was stabbed 11 times by two Texas Syndicate gang members. The victim later died. (RGV JOIC)

On 04/19/10 unconfirmed source indicates a wanted Texas Syndicate member, Jesus Alejandro Campos, is suspected of recruiting for the Los Zeta Cartel in the U.S. Campos will offer money to individuals willing to engage in activities conducted by the cartel.

On 04/24/10 USBP reported shots fired on the Mexico side of the Camargo/Rio Grande City POE. Suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles arrived in 15 vehicles and began demanding money, wallets, purses, and cell phones from civilians and employees at the POE. The suspects wore masks and dressed in green with the letter “Z” (believed to represent Los Zetas) on their shirts. The suspects shot out the camera systems as well as the B-MARS (Border Mutual Aid Radio System) at the POE, then stole several vehicles, including one owned by a Houston, Texas family, and kidnapped 3 employees before fleeing. (USBP Rio Grande City)

04/30/10 – Five U.S. citizens in two boats fishing on Falcon Lake went to the Old Guerrero area on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake to take photos. They were approached and blocked from exiting by a boat with four men covered with tattoos. The men identified themselves as Federales. Three (3) of the men were carrying long guns, one of the fisherman advised that they were AK-47 rifles. They boarded the boats and demanded in Spanish to know where the drugs were. With no drugs found, the fishermen were advised that there was a large house on a hill near the cove that belongs to a drug lord on the Mexican side and they were protecting him and that area of the lake. The Mexicans were radioed from shore to take the film from the cameras of one of the fishermen and the fisherman gave him a blank SIM card. As the two American boats left they were pursued by the Mexican boat. (Texas Rangers)

MARCH 2010

On 03/02/10, Laredo PD was dispatched to the Federal Building regarding two bomb threats. The calls were placed from different payphones by a caller claiming to be a LOS ZETAS cartel member. (Laredo JOIC)

During the period 03/03/10 through 03/09/10, USBP agents working with the CBP-OFO A-TCET team at Eagle Pass POE at Bridge One seized seven assault-type 5.56 mm rifles, two 9 mm handguns, several magazines, several tactical vests, two pair of handcuffs, and tactical gloves concealed in the spare tire well and in a speaker box of a southbound vehicle traveling into Mexico. The serial numbers were ground off of the firearms. (Del Rio JOIC)

On 03/08/10, Texas DPS worked jointly with DEA in Austin supporting Operation Kumbaya resulting in the arrest of 17 GULF Cartel members and the seizure of 14 kg of cocaine, firearms and $400,000 in U.S. currency. The operation targeted the movement of drugs and money through Austin, Texas; and Mexico. (Texas DPS CID and DEA - Austin) 14

On 03/09/10, THP conducted a traffic stop on a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis on US-59 near George West, Texas. The trooper noted that the driver seemed very nervous and saw him reaching for something tucked into his pants. The trooper drew his weapon and grabbed the object, taking it away from the driver. The object was a .45cal pistol, which turned out to be stolen. A further inspection located three 7.62 MM AK-47 type assault rifles, a kit to make an AK-47 fully automatic, magazines, and ammunition. The driver was from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and was traveling to Mexico through Laredo. (Coastal Bend JOIC)

On 03/10/10 unidentified assailants from across the river in Reynosa, Mexico used sling shots and ball bearings to attack a USBP Aviation helicopter. One projectile shattered the rear window forcing the helicopter to return to base in McAllen, Texas. No injuries were reported.

On 03/11/10, Mission PD arrested JOEL SANCHEZ and GUSTAVO CHAVEZ and seized several weapons and cash headed to Mexico for use by LOS ZETAS cartel. (Texas Rangers)

On 03/13/10 USBP reported a fatal shooting of a staff member of the U.S. Consulate General, Ciudad Juarez, and her U.S. citizen husband, an El Paso Sheriff’s deputy. The attack was carried out by suspected Barrio Azteca transnational gang members, the enforcement branch for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel. (CBP, 03/14/10)

On 03/14/10 McAllen PD detained one man suspected of a Los Zetas Cartel drug-related kidnapping and shooting near a Wal-Mart store in McAllen, Texas. The two victims were kidnapped at gunpoint and later killed. (FBI McAllen/MIC)

On 03/15/10 a man from Mission, Texas is in federal custody in McAllen, Texas on gun charges after attempting to purchase 10 automatic weapons from an undercover ATF agent for delivery to Mexico. The suspect attempted to purchase the weapons with $12,000.

On 03/16/10 defendant Jose Luis VENTURA, Mexican National, was given a $2 million bond during an arraignment hearing in McAllen Municipal Court. The victim, a resident of Pharr, Texas, remained at McAllen Medical Center in stable condition. The man survived after a group of suspected drug smugglers kidnapped him, shot him in the leg and drove him to a secluded area where they forced him on his knees, shot him in the back of the head and pushed him down a levee.

On 03/16/10, A USBP agent assigned to the Laredo South Station was assaulted by an illegal alien. The suspect actively resisted arrest and attempted to flee. A struggle ensued and the agent deployed pepper spray to subdue the subject. Both the suspect and the agent sustained minor injuries

On 03/16/10, a USBP agent responding to sensor activity near McAllen encountered a group of illegal aliens carrying bundles. The subjects charged the agent who discharged his weapon. All of the subjects absconded to Mexico. No injuries were reported. USBP seized two bundles of marijuana totaling 150 lbs.

On 03/17/10 a USBP agent was assaulted near Bruni, Texas in Webb County. The agent was holding onto the passenger side door of the vehicle while interviewing the occupants when the driver put the 15

vehicle into gear and sped off, dragging the agent several feet. The driver later was encountered by another agent on a vehicle stop and was detained along with an illegal alien who had been in the vehicle at the time of the assault.

From 03/18/10 to 03/20/10, Texas DPS, in a joint law enforcement effort, assisted during Operation Knock Down, which served arrest warrants on BARRIO AZTECA (BA) transnational gang members in the El Paso, Texas, area resulting in fifty-four total arrests. Operation Knock Down, was prompted by the murders of three people with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, Mexico. (Texas Rangers)

On 03/19/10, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office seized ten AK-47 assault rifles from a residence in Fabens, Texas. One was a full automatic version. Information obtained at the scene indicated that the rifles were to be smuggled into Juarez, Mexico on the date of the seizure. (JOIC El Paso)

On 03-19-10, seven BARRIO AZTECA (BA) transnational gang members/associates (three Mexican nationals and four El Paso residents) were arrested by a multi-agency task force on charges related to the kidnapping and murder of SERGIO SAUCEDO, a Horizon City, Texas, resident, who was kidnapped from his home and transported to Mexico on 09/03/2009. SAUCEDO was a suspected BA member and was reportedly murdered and mutilated for the loss of a marijuana load seized at the Sierra Blanca, Texas checkpoint. (El Paso County SO)

On 03/25/10 the Barrio Azteca gang could be plotting to kill El Paso law enforcement officers in retaliation for a recent crackdown on gang members, an alert issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned.

On 03/25/10 A U.S. citizen, Luis Raul Macias-Rosas, was executed while driving his vehicle, bearing Texas LP BK5 K637 several meters from a Mexican Army checkpoint in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The victim was a manager at the Mexico JMC plant (a maquiladora) and had just left for lunch. Macias held a current Texas drivers license with a residency listed in El Paso, Texas.

On 03/29/10 in McAllen, a U.S. Border Patrol agent in pursuit of a white jeep Cherokee was attacked with rocks and large pieces of cement that penetrated the windshield of his vehicle. As a result the agent sustained serious fractures to his right cheek and facial area. He is in stable condition. The suspects fled across the Rio Grande River into Mexico.

Between 03/31/10 and 04/14/10, two incidents of U.S. citizens being stopped at roadblocks constructed by Los Zetas while traveling through Tamaulipas, Mexico have been reported. Both parties stated they were forcibly removed from their vehicles and their belongings were stolen. (RGV JOIC)

FEBRUARY 2010

On 02/03/10, a Karnes County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle believed to contain five IAs. As he approached the stopped vehicle, he heard a vehicle accelerate behind him. As he looked around, he momentarily observed a vehicle coming at him. The Deputy was struck and knocked unconscious. When the Deputy regained consciousness, both vehicles had fled the scene. The Deputy was flown to a San Antonio hospital, treated and released. (JOIC Coastal Bend)

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On 02/03/10, USBP agents responded to a ranch east of Brackettville in Kinney County and located a possible IA in thick brush. The subject attempted to abscond but was caught. When ordered to put his hands in the air, the subject complied but lowered them as the agents were moving closer. He again was ordered to raise his hands and complied. When agents apprehended him they saw a shotgun, which was leaning against some brush nearby. The subject had a fanny pack that contained 93 rounds of shotgun ammo. The shotgun and other sporting items were stolen from one of two ranch houses that the subject admitted breaking into during the ten days he wandered after becoming lost. (USBP)

During the period 02/03/10-02/09/10, USBP agents on boat patrol were attacked by a group of suspected DTO members on the Mexican side of the river near Chimney Park south of Mission, Texas. The subjects threw rocks, bottles, and other objects at the agents. The agents fired on the subjects who dispersed. No injuries were reported. (USBP)

On 02/04/10 a witness was debriefed by DPS regarding the following incident: a few months ago in Penitas, Texas two Mexican National enforcers dressed in camo armed with Uzis held a witness at gunpoint while smugglers loaded a vehicle with drugs and contraband. The Mexican National enforcers were believed to be linked with the Gulf Cartel. (Texas Rangers)

On 02/05/10 an IA connected to Mexico’s organized crime was found murdered near Mission, Texas. Police identified the Mexican national and discovered he had been previously deported after serving a 16-month prison sentence for human smuggling. The man was found bound and shot execution-style, a Mexican cartel trademark and it is being investigated as a capital murder. (Hidalgo County So)

On 02/17/10, Border Patrol agents near Cuevitas, Texas, observed a pickup being loaded with bundles on the river bank. The pickup fled when agents attempted to arrest the driver. The two occupants threw spikes during the pursuit. FBI intelligence reports that homemade spikes, or caltrops, originate from Sullivan City, Texas, by GULF cartel members who have been instructed to protect their loads at all costs. Subjects were taken into custody, and the FBI is currently investigating. (DHS)

On 02/19/10, USBP agents seized 29.2 lbs of abandoned marijuana and deployed less-lethal munitions after subjects threw rocks at them near Eagle Pass, Texas. The three subjects, who were attempting to smuggle marijuana into the U.S., absconded to Mexico. Mexican authorities reported apprehending one of the subjects. (USBP)

During the period 02/19/10, USBP agents shot at the driver of a vehicle who was attempting to run over the agents near La Grulla, Texas. The driver was suspected of human smuggling when he attempted to pick up a number of subjects in a parking lot. When agents approached, he drove his truck toward them. No injuries were reported. The driver, an IA from Mexico, was processed for prosecution and removal. (USBP)

On approximately 02/22/10, A USBP agent was targeted by rock throwers near Hidalgo. The agent fired one round at the assailants who subsequently absconded into Mexico. No injuries or damages were reported.

On 02/23/10, sources reported that a La Joya, Texas, ranch was utilized by the GULF Cartel as a marijuana repackaging and distribution facility with 45-60 people employed. (FBI) 17

On 02/24/10, Roma, Texas POE reported an increase in the amount of vehicular traffic crossing into Texas. Passengers stated they are fleeing Mexico due to the anticipation of cartel violence. (Joint Counterdrug Task Force Rio Grande Valley)

On 02/25/10 the U.S. has temporarily closed the consular office in the Mexican border city of Reynosa after a series of gun battles between drug cartels. The U.S. consulate, located across from the city of McAllen, Texas, will remain closed until further notice.

On 02/26/10, Texas DPS Austin was advised by a Highway Patrol trooper that his uncle, a retired commandante, living in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, received a call from a subject in Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico, stating that they had detained the trooper. The caller was able to provide identifiers to the uncle including name and DOB of the trooper. The uncle called and verified that the trooper was safe and on duty for Texas DPS in Denton County. (DPS-THP, Denton)

JANUARY 2010

As of January 2010, FBI sources indicated that LA MANA, an enforcement group for LOS ZETAS cartel, is targeting Hidalgo Police Department officers. Unspecified members of LA MANA, intend to approach officers and ask them, “plata o plomo,” silver or lead: the bribe or the bullet. (San Antonio FBI, CRO Donald Keith Wood)

On 01/09/10, Texas DPS agents in Laredo, Texas, seized 1,350 lbs of marijuana as part of an ongoing LOS ZETAS cartel investigation. Two subjects were arrested. (Texas DPS-CID, Laredo)

During the period 01/13/10-01/19/10, officers of the El Paso Police Department and West Texas HIDTA Stash House Unit conducting a residence search seized 40 AK-47 semi-automatic rifles, 70 high capacity magazines, and seven sets of body armor. These items were bound for Juarez, Mexico with the weapons going to one DTO and the ballistic vests going to another. (JOIC El Paso)

During the period 01/13/10 through 01/19/10, THP and TPWD in Brooks County conducted a traffic stop on US-281 southbound and found two convicted felons transporting an assault rifle, two shotguns, one sawed-off shotgun, and one handgun to Mexico. (Coastal Bend JOIC)

On 01/14/10 a bar near Mission, Texas served as home base for a group of teenage Honduran girls who claim they were forced into prostitution to pay off the debts they incurred when smuggled into the country.

On 01/14/10, University Medical Center (UMC) of El Paso, Texas, reported an increase in wounded seeking medical assistance in El Paso, Texas, from Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. UMC treated 83 people shot in Mexico in 2009 compared with about 50 patients seeking treatment in 2008. A majority of the patients are U.S. citizens. (El Paso UMC Spokesperson Jethro Armijo, 915-544-1200)

During the period 01/15/10 through 01/20/10, a group of four subjects in Mexico threw rocks at USBP agents near El Paso. The agents deployed less-lethal munitions which appeared to infuriate the subjects

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and they became more aggressive by continuing to throw rocks. An agent fired one round from his sidearm and all of the subjects fled further into Mexico. No injuries were reported. (USBP)

During the period 01/15/10 through 01/20/10, USBP agents arrested three illegal aliens near Eagle Pass. All three of the subjects claimed to have been assaulted by their guides. The subjects were transported to local hospitals. A fourth subject, who was found the next day, was transported to a hospital where he later died. (USBP)

During the period 01/15/10 through 01/20/10, unidentified individuals threw rocks at USBP agents as they were on boat patrol near Eagle Pass. The agents deployed less lethal munitions and the subjects retreated into Mexico. No injuries or damages were reported. (USBP)

On 01/21/10 CBP-OFO Officers at the Bridge of the Americas POE seized two AK-47 rifles, 4,000 rounds of ammunition, and several magazines concealed in a southbound vehicle. (El Paso JOIC)

On 01/21/10, the Goliad County SO interdicted an IA who was transporting one rifle, one shotgun, one sawed-off shotgun, and a handgun concealed in the rear bumper of his vehicle. The weapons were bound for Mexico. (Coastal Bend JOIC)

On 01/24/10, a trooper working Operation Border Star was involved in a vehicle pursuit in the La Joya, Texas area with a human smuggler. During an interview at a later date, the smuggler stated that he encountered two armed LOS ZETAS cartel members after the pursuit and that many smugglers are now carrying weapons. (Rio Grande Valley JOIC)

On 01/27/10, ICE arrested 43 transnational gang members with Mexican cartel ties, in Texas cities, during “Project Big Freeze.” Big Freeze targeted transnational gangs including MARA SALVATRUCHA, MEXICAN MAFIA and LATIN KINGS, for violations including narcotics smuggling and distribution, firearms violations, identity theft, aggravated assault, obstruction, entry without inspection and re-entry after deportation. (ICE, Press Release 01/27/10)

On 01/29/10, the La Joya Police Department and USBP were pursuing a vehicle transporting narcotics near La Joya. The DTO driver scattered spikes in the path of pursuing law enforcement units, disabling a USBP vehicle and delaying the pursuit long enough for him to ditch his vehicle and abscond to Mexico. (JOIC Rio Grande Valley)

During the period 01/29/10 through 02/02/10, USBP agents assigned to the Comstock Station reported that an unidentified subject in Mexico fired two shots at an agent near Langtry, in western Val Verde County. A group of suspected IAs was attempting to cross the Rio Grande, when a subject in Mexico drove up in a red truck and exited his vehicle with a rifle. The subject called the group back and fired two rounds at the agent. The agent moved to a safe location. No injuries or damages were reported. (USBP)

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2009

DECEMBER 2009

On 12/03/09 USBP agents discharged their service handguns at the driver of a vehicle when he attempted to run over them near Sullivan City. No injuries were reported. Agents arrested two IAs from Mexico and seized 315 lbs of marijuana. (USBP)

During the period of 12/04/09 through 12/07/09 a USBP agent discharged one round from his M-4 rifle after the driver of a 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe veered towards him near Rincon in Starr County. The driver and the passenger abandoned the vehicle and absconded to Mexico. No agents were injured. Agents seized 1,116 lbs of marijuana from the abandoned vehicle. (USBP)

On 12/08/09 McAllen Border Patrol agents were involved in a pursuit in which homemade spikes were deployed by suspects. A total of five law enforcement and ten civilian vehicles were affected by the use of the spikes. (EPIC Tactical Bulletin #EB10-03 01/15/10)

On 12/16/09 USBP agents were in pursuit of a vehicle near Donna when the driver bailed out of the vehicle near the Rio Grande River and fled down the bank toward the river. The suspect’s vehicle then rolled down the river bank and struck and killed the suspect. During the incident, suspects across the river in Mexico began throwing rocks at the agents. Two agents fired a total of three rounds from their service weapons in response. Agents seized 780 lbs of marijuana from the abandoned vehicle.

On 12/31/09 USBP agents seized 1,146 lbs of marijuana and a stolen Ford F-350 near Abram in Hidalgo County agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop and the driver failed to yield. As he sped away, he collided with the personal vehicle of an off-duty agent. No injuries were reported. The driver absconded. (USBP)

NOVEMBER 2009

On 11/04/09 USBP agents pursued a suspected load vehicle which drove into the Rio Grande River. DTO members came across the river to attempt to recover the load. Upon reaching the U.S. side the DTO members began throwing bricks at the agents, striking one in the chest. Another agent was also hit by an oar that was swung by a smuggler. The DTO members returned to Mexico on the rafts with some of the contraband bundles. The agents recovered 400 lbs of marijuana from the river and inspect vehicle. No arrests were made. (USBP)

On 11/06/09 CBP-OFO Officers at the Brownsville Gateway Bridge POE seized four assault rifles, five magazines, and one scope concealed in the side panels of a 1985 GMC conversion van traveling into Mexico. (JOIC Rio Grande Valley)

During the period of 11/13/09-11/16/09 several suspects in Mexico threw rocks at a USBP boat patrol unit near Eagle Pass. Boat patrol agents were assisting with the arrest of several narcotics suspects 20

during the assault. No injuries or damage were reported. The assailants absconded further into Mexico. (USBP)

On 11/17/09 CBP OFO officers and USBP agents at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge seized four Herstal PS90 carbines, one AR-15 with scope, four FN Herstal 5.7mm handguns, one Beretta.38cal handgun, one Sig Sauer P238 .38cal handgun, three Ruger .38cal handguns, 24 magazines, and 200 rounds of 5.7x28mm ammunition concealed in a sofa in the back of a southbound 2000 Chrysler van. (JOIC Laredo)

During the period of 11/18/09-11/24/09 a USBP Laredo North agent received minor injuries when he was assaulted by an IA Mexican national suspect who was apprehended after being pepper sprayed. (USBP)

On 11/25/09 Laredo PD was involved in a vehicle pursuit on the west side of Laredo, Texas. Officers followed the vehicle where an unidentified Hispanic male drove into the Rio Grande embankment and absconded into Mexico. A search of the vehicle revealed two boxes of new BDU’s, tactical equipment, and several boxes with large amounts of ammunition, approximately 5,500 rounds of .223/7.62 caliber. Laredo PD stated that intelligence gathered indicates these suspects are involved with Los Zetas Cartel organization in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. (Laredo PD)

On 11/26/09 during an annual hunting trip to a small town south of McAllen, Texas, nine men were attacked by a group of well armed, organized bandits. The group was robbed of its weapons and belongings by armed men dressed as Mexican federal authorities. The hunters were beaten but escaped otherwise unharmed. (http://www.click2houston.com/news/21734602/detail.html)

OCTOBER 2009

From July – October 2009, U.S. Border Patrol, McAllen sector, reported seven armed encounters in the Rio Grande Valley in Mission, Hidalgo and Pharr, Texas, as recorded by USBP during Operation Kingfisher. This operation encountered armed Mexican Nationals on Texas soil protecting IA and narcotics smuggling loads. (Texas Ranger Recon-Operation Kingfisher) Mission, Texas 07/07/2009 – Armed Encounter 07/10/2009 – Armed Encounter 10/07/2009 – Armed Encounter Pharr, Texas 07/09/2009 - Armed Encounter 10/19/2009 – Armed Encounter Hidalgo, Texas 10/09/2009 – Armed Encounter

On 10/06/09 a USBP agent arrested one IA after he broke into an agent's residence near El Paso, Texas. The suspect became combative and an agent deployed his collapsible baton. The suspect was arrested without further incident. (USBP)

On 10/07/09 Texas DPS troopers observed a counter-surveillance operation by suspects wearing shirts with Ferrari logos, which are associated with Los Zetas Cartel. Suspects communicated via cell phone while surveying the Starr County Narcotics Task Force building. 21

On 10/07/09 Decatur PD, AL arrested Jose Luis GONZALEZ, 19, and searching for Samuel TREJO- CARBAJAL, admitted Los Zetas Cartel members, for a September 11th gang-style shooting at Funland Park in Decatur, AL. TREJO-CARBAJAL and GONZALEZ were stopped and searched on 09/02/09 in Kingsville, TX, en-route to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, several days before the Alabama shooting. (FBI MIC Outlook, Bulletin #4, November 2009)

On 10/16/09 a Mexican Mafia (MM) transnational gang member on parole in Houston, Texas, informed his parole officer that on 10/13/09, his brother was kidnapped and tortured by members of Los Zetas Cartel in Houston, Texas. Through intervention by the FBI, the brother was returned alive, and a female was taken into custody. (U.S. Probation Officer Southern District of Texas/Houston Division)

On 10/19/09 Starr County SO deputies set up surveillance on an identified drug crossing point on the Rio Grande River, outside of Rio Grande City, Texas. A pursuit ensued and a suspect inside the pickup truck threw approximately 40 homemade caltrop spikes out of the window. The spikes damaged and disabled two tires of a Starr County SO vehicle which allowed the suspects and most of the load to return to Mexico. (El Paso JOIC, FBI, 11/04/09)

During the period of 10/21/09 through 10/27/09 Zapata County SO Deputies arrested a suspect after he attempted to use his vehicle to get in between Deputies and a vehicle loaded with marijuana they were pursuing on US-83 north of Zapata. (Laredo JOIC)

On 10/22/09 Texas DPS assisted the DEA with Project Coronado, a nationwide investigation which targeted La Familia Michoacan Cartel, and led to the arrest of 1,186 individuals, the seizure of approximately $33 million, 1,999 kilograms of cocaine, 2,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 29 pounds of heroin, 16,390 pounds of marijuana, 389 weapons, 269 vehicles, and two clandestine drug labs. (DEA Press Release 10/22/09)

On 10/27/09 a USBP agent fired several shots at the driver of a vehicle near Harlingen when the suspect attempted to strike the agent with the vehicle. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled to Mexico on foot. Agents discovered an undetermined amount of contraband in the vehicle. No injuries were reported. (USBP)

On 10/30/09 USBP agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico and seized 1,101 lbs of marijuana near the Rio Grande River near Abrams in Hidalgo County. Shots were fired from Mexico at the agents while they were searching for additional narcotics. An agent returned fire with his service issued M-4 rifle. No injuries or damage were reported. (USBP)

SEPTEMBER 2009

On 09/03/09 Sergio Rene SAUCEDO, a Barrio Azteca transnational gang member was taken from his residence in Horizon City, Texas, at gunpoint. Following his kidnapping, SAUCEDO’s body was found five days later in south central Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. SAUCEDO’s hands had been cut off and placed on his chest. Intelligence reports indicate that this murder was conducted by Barrio Azteca transnational gang elements in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, as a result of a marijuana seizure, in August 2009, for which SAUCEDO was responsible. (DHS Information Report 09/05/09, HIR/TX-0035-10) 22

On 09/03/09 in Alton, Texas a victim told investigators that men shot him once in the leg during his kidnapping, then smuggled him into Mexico on a raft where a group of men were waiting on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande for him. They beat him up and asked about a 500-pound load of marijuana that was stolen during shipment to the U.S. The victim said the men brought him back to the U.S. and released him after he identified the smuggler responsible for the stolen shipment. (http://www.themonitor.com/articles/alton-30259-captors-kidnapping.html)

On 09/04/09 two stray rounds struck the American side of the border at the UT-Brownsville, Texas, campus after a gun battle ensued between the Mexican Federal Police and drug Cartel members in Matamoros. One round shattered a window in the UTB recreation center and impacted an internal wall. The other round hit a pick-up truck parked in a UTB parking lot and landed in the truck bed. UT- Brownsville advised students/personnel to vacate the area and remained closed throughout the Labor Day holiday. (Texas DPS Narcotics)

On 09/05/09 federal agents arrested a Mission, TX man who brokered a deal to sell what he believed to be stolen military-grade weapons to buyers in central Mexico. During a meeting in McAllen, TX the suspect paid an undercover investigator $60,000 for a cache of fragmentation grenades, automatic rifles, and shoulder-fired grenade launchers. The suspect had been told that the weapons had been previously used in Iraq and then stolen before appearing on the black market. Investigators believe he planned to deliver the firearms to a group of buyers in Mexico who were interested in making similarly sized purchases on a weekly to biweekly basis. (DHS)

On 09/10/09 TXDPS Aviation was involved in a pursuit leading to the Rio Grande River where rafts were waiting to transport a high level Mexican Cartel member. One suspect was taken into custody, and at least one confirmed individual on the Mexican side was armed with a rifle. Suspects were noticeably wearing Ferrari logo shirts, which are associated with Los Zetas Cartel. (TXDPS AVN)

On 09/11/09 the Mexican army arrested an El Paso, TX man on suspicion of being a hit man for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Drug Cartel, and he is suspected in 18 slayings. He was arrested while putting up a banner threatening a state official. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_13311733)

On 09/13/09 a U.S. Border Patrol agent was assaulted at a business establishment in El Paso, Texas by at least two suspected Barrio Azteca transnational gang members. The agent’s credentials, badge, driver license, and U.S. Government travel card were stolen during the assault. (El Paso JOIC)

On 09/21/09 Laredo PD received an anonymous phone call indicating there was a bomb in the parking garage of the complex with a message from Los Zetas Cartel. Webb County security at the complex conducted a search of the parking garage and discovered a box with what appeared to have a live grenade on top. (Texas Rangers)

AUGUST 2009

In August 2009 a U.S. Border Patrol agent was run over by an ATV driven during a smuggling attempt. (Texas Homeland Security)

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In August 2009 Border Patrol agents working the Laredo, Texas area were pinned down by gunfire from the Mexico side. With the assistance of Laredo PD and other USBP agents, the two agents were rescued. (Texas Homeland Security)

On 08/10/09 three men were arrested in the shooting death of a U.S. drug informant in front of his home this spring. Jose Daniel Gonzalez Galeana, a Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel lieutenant, was working for U.S. officials as a confidential informant. It is believed to be the first killing of a ranking cartel member on American soil. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/paso-100928-arrested- texas.html)

On 08/14/09 a cell of La Familia Michoacan Cartel operating in Houston had access to homemade pineapple grenades. A member of the group, had one of the pineapple-shaped grenades on his person at a nightclub in Houston. (FBI)

On 08/28/09 Border Patrol agents came under fire along the border, while they were on patrol along the river at Father McNaboe Park in Laredo, TX. They noticed two people trying to cross the river into the US. A suspect on the Mexican side of the river opened fire on the agents. The Agents took cover, called for assistance, and returned fire themselves. The two suspects trying to cross the river were taken into custody. No injuries were reported. (http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/55480787.html

JULY 2009

On 07/01/09 a Border Patrol agent in Kingsville shot a man he suspected of being an illegal immigrant during an altercation in a South Texas convenience store. The suspect took the officer’s baton during the altercation. Fearing for his life the officer shot the suspect. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/us/02brfs-BORDERPATROL_BRF.html?_r=1)

On 07/02/09 a 19 year old woman from El Paso was found dumped on a Juarez street with her throat slashed, one of more than 200 homicides in June. No additional info was available. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_12728424 expired link)

On 07/08/09 a suspected smuggler in Weslaco crashed into a police barricade and injured two police officers. Border patrol agents noticed a Grand Marquis leaving an area near the river with a load of drugs. They tried to pull over the driver, who instead led authorities on a chase. (http://www.krgv.com expired link)

On 07/10/09 Zapata County SO Deputies responded to a residential fire and was told from the owner that he was threatened by Los Zetas Cartel members and was given eight days to leave town. Two suspects are in custody and believed to be LOS ZETAS Cartel members. (TXDPS-)

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JUNE 2009

On 06/04/09 a 37-year-old Mexican man recently shot to death in front of an El Paso house has been identified as a midlevel official in the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel. (http://www.chron.com expired link)

On 06/22/09 agents were arresting eight illegal immigrants when two shots were fired. The agents uncovered another five illegal immigrants and 63 pounds of marijuana in the brush along the Rio Grande while searching. (http://www.chron.com expired link)

MAY 2009

On 05/15/09 Jose Daniel GONZALEZ GALEANA, a mid-level Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel member and informant, was shot and killed in El Paso, Texas for shifting his allegiance to a rival criminal organization. A U.S. Army soldier is one of three men facing murder charges in the killing of the Juarez Cartel member. Fellow Cartel members targeted GALEANA for the hit due to his alleged involvement in the arrest of Pedro "El Tigre" Sanchez, a lieutenant for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF) Cartel, captured in May 2008. (El Paso PD)

On 05/21/09 a CBP officer in Brownsville, Texas reported that his father had been kidnapped in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The father was able to escape his captors and during debriefing, stated he was detained by three individuals in Mexico who wanted $5,000 for his release. (El Paso PD Criminal Intelligence Service Officer Safety Alert: 1B09 05/21/09)

On 05/21/09 a CBP agent was notified that his mother had been kidnapped in Ciudad Juarez and demanded $100,000 in ransom. Through the assistance of negotiators the agent was able to temporarily appease the kidnappers. The kidnappers knew the agent by name and DOB, and also knew the names of other family members of the agent. (El Paso PD Criminal Intelligence Service Officer Safety Alert: 1B09 05/21/09)

APRIL 2009

On 04/26/09 Police investigated a kidnapping purportedly carried out in Reynosa by members of Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's enforcement wing. A Donna, Texas woman called police from her home on 04/19/09 only after the men grew impatient and threatened to kidnap her other son if she did not pay a ransom soon for the victim's release, police records show. Officers arrested four men in connection with the kidnapping, but it remained unclear what involvement, if any, they have with Los Zetas. The suspects shot at several victims before being arrested. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/police-97365-garza-told.html)

On 04/30/09 federal authorities in McAllen say the wife of an immigrant smuggler aided her husband in kidnapping Central American migrants, torturing them and holding them for ransom. Investigators believe Norma Yesenia Ozul Saldaña, 29, received several ransom payments through wire transfers issued to two Edinburg homes and tried to buy the silence of several of her victims after her arrest. The 25

men and women crossed the Rio Grande days earlier and were guided to a stash house in Hidalgo only to be kidnapped within an hour by a group of armed men who stormed the home. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/immigrant-97513-smuggler-alleged.html)

MARCH 2009

On 03/10/09 Houston PD identified the suspect in a shooting last week that critically injured a police officer as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, saying federal immigration officials missed multiple opportunities to deport him. Alfaro was arrested five times for possession or delivery of drugs, including three times after an immigration judge granted him “voluntary departure” in March 2001. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6303176.html)

On 03/13/09 three teenage Gulf Cartel assassins were arrested in Laredo. Over a nearly one-year period starting in June 2005 the border town of Laredo, Texas saw a string of seven murders. These three hitmen are believed to be responsible for these deaths. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/cartel.teens/index.html)

On 03/16/09 bridges one and two in Laredo were closed due to a bomb threat. The Laredo Fire Department swept the scene with negative results. (http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/41294397.html)

On 03/23/09 Sam ALVARADO GARCIA, 24, was jailed in Mexico with a group of suspected Los Zetas Cartel members following a shootout. GARCIA was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force and had been attending the McAllen, Texas, Police Academy. (Texas DPS)

FEBRUARY 2009

On 02/05/09 a man kidnapped in Cuidad Juárez, MX by a pair of El Paso, TX residents was able to escape when his captors got drunk and fell asleep after a day of drinking tequila and beer. The kidnappers demanded $20,000 and vehicles. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_11631037)

On 02/06/09 a man led Laredo PD, DPS, and BP officers on a chase that ended with his arrest. When the DPS trooper attempted to make contact with the driver, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse and attempted to run over the trooper. The suspect was ultimately caught while trying to swim across into Mexico. (http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/39218807.html)

On 02/11/09 Pharr PD and Federal agents raided a home connected with a grenade thrown into a local bar in Pharr, Texas where three off duty police officers were patrons. The grenade originated from the same source as grenades used on a U.S. Consulate and a television station both in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The grenades used in these attacks are linked to a warehouse in Mexico with suspected ties to LOS ZETAS Cartel. (Pharr PD)

JANUARY 2009

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On 01/07/09 a car used in the attack of a Televisa network station in Monterrey, Mexico had license plates registered to a Mission, Texas address. The vehicle, a red 1995 Grand Am, was found with a .40 caliber Glock inside. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/resident-93405-attack-suspected.html)

On 01/31/09 an unidentified male opened the door of a gentleman’s club in San Juan, Texas and threw a fragmentation grenade into a crowd of approximately twenty patrons, which included three off duty police officers. The attack was believed to be initiated by Los Zetas Cartel members and the grenade was linked to a Mexican warehouse with suspected ties to Los Zetas. (ATF/San Juan PD)

2008

DECEMBER 2008

On 12/03/08 a group of 21 illegal immigrants from Guatemala were allegedly kidnapped, tortured, raped and held for ransom in a stash house east of Edinburg, Texas before federal agents rescued them last week. Their tormentors, a group of Mexican nationals believed to have abducted the immigrants from another smuggling organization, are set to appear before a federal judge today. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/immigrants-92358-risks-edinburg.html)

NOVEMBER 2008

On 11/04/08 Texas DPS reported that two unidentified bodies were discovered in the Rio Grande River along U.S. HWY 83 in Laredo. The location where the bodies were discovered is near the area where USBP agents engaged in a shoot out with unknown Mexican suspects on or about 10/29/2008. The two suspects were discovered with bullet wounds in their bodies, but it is unknown at this time if this was the cause of death. It is suspected that the two suspects may be brothers, and may have been under investigation by the FBI for possible ties to Los Zetas. (Texas DPS)

On 11/06/08 Austin PD was involved in an officer shooting stemming from an attempted home invasion/robbery. One individual armed with an AK-47 opened fire on the officer; one suspect was shot and killed at the scene. Sources reported that the attempted home invasion/robbery was actually a botched Gulf Cartel hit related to a missing or stolen $100,000. There is also a possible connection to this incident and the drug related child kidnapping in Austin on 02/07/08. The individuals involved have reported ties to Los Zetas. (Open Source/Texas Rangers)

On 11/07/08 Jaime "El Hummer" GONZALEZ DURAN, head of drug operations in Reynosa, Mexico for Los Zetas, was arrested in Mexico. GONZALEZ DURAN also led a kidnapping cell in Hidalgo Co. FBI sources documented GONZALEZ DURAN’s aggressive campaign to expand his power, protect his turf at all costs, and stake a claim for control north of the border. Part of this campaign included intimidating independent drug smugglers in the Texas Rio Grande Valley through violent measures. . (Open Source)

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OCTOBER 2008

On 10/03/08 an unknown number of men opened fire on a black Toyota Camry in San Juan, Texas. The driver was struck twice in the chest. The suspects were part of the same Hidalgo County kidnapping ring with ties to Los Zetas Cartel and prominent Zeta leader Jaime "El Hummer" GONZALEZ DURAN. (The Monitor, 04/23/09, 05/24/10)

On 10/07/08 Sergio Arturo Zepeda was kidnapped and tortured for several hours by members of a Hidalgo County kidnapping ring with ties to Los Zetas Cartel and prominent Zeta leader Jaime "El Hummer" GONZALEZ DURAN. He was released after paying a ransom. (The Monitor, 04/23/09, 05/24/10)

On 10/07/08 a woman believed to be a Mexican national entering McAllen, Texas from Reynosa, Mexico was kidnapped by 3 men and held for ransom for $200. Friends notified police and the suspects were arrested. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/lopez-90601-police-residence.html)

On 10/11/08 a DPS Trooper’s son was kidnapped in Del Rio, Texas and was held in Piedras Negras, Mexico. The victim was later recovered safely in Mexico by Mexican authorities and released back to the U.S. on October 12. (Texas DPS)

On 10/16/08 a drug runner came out from behind a levee and started driving against the flow of traffic and struck a Border Patrol agent in Hidalgo, Texas. (http://www.KRGV.com expired link)

On 10/31/2008 four men opened fire at a private residence and trucking business in Hidalgo County. The intended victims fired back, resulting in a brief shootout. The attackers were members of street gangs hired by the Gulf Cartel to collect a debt. (Open Source)

SEPTEMBER 2008

In September 2008 two individuals were kidnapped and beaten with hammers and rifles until a ransom of $40,000 and two vehicles secured their release. The kidnappers were members of a Hidalgo County kidnapping ring with ties to Los Zetas Cartel and prominent Zeta leader Jaime "El Hummer" GONZALEZ DURAN. (The Monitor, 04/23/09, 05/24/10)

On 09/04/08 a Guatemalan man residing in an abandoned boxcar in Webb County was arrested on first degree murder charges for killing a middle aged man. MS-13 gang paraphernalia and satanic prayers were found in the boxcar.

AUGUST 2008

On 08/04/08 seven members of Los Zetas plead guilty in the Laredo, Texas federal court to charges including racketeering, drug conspiracy and weapons charges. Two suspects admitted to transporting up to 600 kilograms of cocaine a week to Dallas, Texas between March 2007 and February 2008. One suspect admitted to using passenger buses and tractor-trailers to transport the drugs from Laredo, Texas

28

to Dallas, Texas. Millions in currency would then be smuggled into Mexico to Zeta Commander Miguel Angel TREVINO MORALES “Z-40”, in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. (Open Source)

On 8/12/08 Cardona and Jasso pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country. Cardona, a suspected Zeta member, is believed to have killed 2 U.S. citizens in Mexico w/ a broken bottle in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Top Los Zetas are believed to be included in the indictment. (Open Source)

On 8/13/08 Starr County SO deputies responded to a call from USBP after agents discovered the body of a male subject hanging from a tree on the riverbank near Fronton, TX. The subject was stabbed and mutilated. Deputies believe the victim was killed in Mexico and the body was transported across the Rio Grande by boat and hung. (Open Source)

On 8/20/08 Daniel Ramirez Jr. was kidnapped at a convenience store in Weslaco, TX, by a group of men affiliated with Los Zetas and prominent Zeta leader Jaime "El Hummer" González Durán. The kidnappers held Ramirez Jr. ransom in Reynosa, Mexico before murdering him and “cooking” his body in a large drum. Members of the kidnapping ring were later arrested and tried in U.S. federal court. The kidnapping ring was also implicated in the abduction of several other Hidalgo County residents. (FBI, Valley Morning Star 1/21/10, Brownsville Herald 4/20/10)

On 08/23/08 CBP/BP agents assigned to the Fort Brown Border Patrol Station, Brownsville, Texas apprehended three illegal aliens (IA) from Mexico approximately three miles east of the Veteran(s) International Bridge Port of Entry (POE) in Brownsville, Texas. The IAs provided information on alien smuggler identities and activities in the Brownsville area and the housing of up to 18 immigrants from Mexico and other Central American countries at a designated staging area. The smuggler is associated with “La Mana” and Los Zetas. (CBP)

JULY 2008

On 07/01/08 a Mexican police official says a Texas man has been found beaten to death in the trunk of a car in a Mexican border town. (Dallas News)

On 07/29/08 an unidentified boat rammed a U.S. Border Patrol vessel on Amistad Lake near Comstock. When agents attempted to intercept the vessel after it entered illegally from Mexico, the boat turned toward the agent’s vessel and rammed it before retreating to Mexico. The suspect is part of a drug smuggling organization with possible ties to Los Zetas Cartel. (DHS)

JUNE 2008

On 06/06/08 El Paso PD received credible information indicating a Zetas hit squad was extorting money from the owners of the Shangri-La restaurant with locations in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. The Zetas threatened to kill the owner and two sons and/or shoot up the businesses. (El Paso PD)

On 06/06/08 a Honduran teenager was kidnapped by Los Zetas in Mexico. He is an illegal alien (IA) and was headed to reunite with family in Houston, Texas when he was abducted in Veracruz, Mexico and

29

held for a $2,500 ransom. He was held with at least 75 other Central American immigrants. http://www.valleycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=143618

On 06/25/08 a Mexican national fired 10 gunshots at a Harlingen police officer, striking him 5 times during an attempted traffic stop. The shooter, Abraham MAR, was affiliated with two local gangs, the “West Side Aquas” and “Los Vallucos”. The officer, who was sitting in the driver's seat, was shot in the right shoulder and the forearm, and one bullet grazed his head, officials said. The officer was hospitalized for approximately 11 days. Police described the shooting as an ambush. After the attack, MAR made his way to Mexico before he was arrested by Mexican authorities in Matamoros on 06/26/08. MAR is currently serving a 99 year prison sentence for the attempted capital murder. (Brownsville Herald 8/27/08, Valley Morning Star 2/20/10)

On 06/25/08 El Paso PD officers arrested two suspects at the Bridge of the Americas who stabbed two subjects and attempted to run over a third subject. The suspects are members of an “All Stars” tagging crew. The victims were suspected members of Barrio Azteca. The suspects were covered in blood when they were arrested by PD officers at the Bridge of the Americas. (Open Source)

MAY 2008

On 05/01/08 Motor Vehicle Theft Service assisted Texas Highway Patrol in the traffic stops of two stolen vehicles in La Salle Co. Further investigation revealed the suspects as members of the Tango Blast Gang in the Dallas/Irving area and associates of the Los Zetas Cartel. (TXDPS)

On 05/20/08 Pharr PD arrested a suspect on an attempted murder warrant. Officers seized the suspect’s vehicle and $1,600. The suspect said he was a member of Los Zetas. (Open Source)

APRIL 2008

On 04/02/08 federal prosecutors announced that a grand jury has indicted five men on kidnapping conspiracy charges related to a January incident involving cross-border drug trafficking and torture. The men are accused of conspiring to kidnap a Pearsall, Texas tow truck driver and taking him to Piedras Negras, Mexico where he was tortured and threatened with death, all to find the location of missing drug money. (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA040308_02B_2BNewsRdpHealthCare_274e1a19_html646. html)

On 04/05/08 the Presidio County So was notified by US Border Patrol that an incursion had taken place near Ruidosa, Texas located approximately 34 miles west of Presidio, Texas. Two individuals stated that in the late evening hours on 04/04/08 they were held up on the US side by 8 Mexican military dressed suspects. The two individuals were ordered at gun point to give up their weapons. (PCSO)

On 04/08/08 a body was found south of the Moore Army Airfield in Hidalgo County. The body was believed to be Jose Valencia Garcia, a former Mexican police officer and Texas gang member who was abducted from his home by 5 suspects on 03/28/08. (http://www.themonitor.com/articles/body-10743-sheriff-badly.html)

30

On 04/16/08 gunmen robbed a U.S. family of tourists in Mexico and stole their plane. The suspects pulled a car in front of the six-seat Cessna, forced out the family at gunpoint, burned the car and flew off in the plane. (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002357/posts)

MARCH 2008

On 3/11/08 USBP agents near El Paso, TX reported that a suspect in Mexico aimed a rifle at them approximately five miles east of the Zaragoza POE. The agent took cover and requested assistance. A Texas National Guard Air Unit responded and confirmed that the suspect in Mexico was armed with a rifle. Mexican authorities were notified but no arrests were made. No injuries or damage were reported. (Open Source)

On 03/13/08 Timothy Michael Gereb of San Antonio, Texas who conspired with others to recruit teenagers and a young woman in Mexico so they could be forced into prostitution was sentenced to a decade in prison and a lifetime of supervision. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA031308_05B_sex_36fe9e8_html22808.html

FEBRUARY 2008

On 02/07/08 an Amber Alert was issued for 5-year-old Adrian Jaimes in Northeast Austin, Texas who was abducted by three men in their late teens. The child was later found unharmed. Law Enforcement sources stated the Gulf Cartel initiated the kidnapping and that the motive was drug related. (Open Source/Texas DPS)

On 02/09/08 El Paso Border Patrol agents arrested a 14-year-old boy for threatening agents with a machete after he illegally entered the U.S. The boy waved a machete at an agent, who drew his gun and ordered the boy to drop the machete. The teen placed the blade against his own neck and asked the agent to shoot him. After more than 20 minutes of negotiations, he surrendered. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8211018)

JANUARY 2008

On 01/07/08 a USBP Laredo agent exchanged gunfire with suspects who attempted to break into his vehicle outside of his residence. Laredo PD had already dispatched officers to a location nearby because of a separate carjacking incident. The two incidents are believed to be related. A total of nine suspects were taken into custody by Laredo PD. Two suspects were hospitalized and treated and turned over to Laredo PD. (Open Source)

2007

DECEMBER 2007

On 12/04/07 a woman in Rio Grande City, Texas held a 15-year-old illegal immigrant hostage because he didn’t have the money he owed for being smuggled into the U.S. (http://www.krgv.com expired link) 31

On 12/28/07 a woman in Dallas who reported her teenage son was kidnapped because she couldn't pay a smuggling debt says her family is being threatened with violence if she doesn't change her story. Illegal immigrant Francisca Torres says men have been calling and saying she needs to retract her story and not press charges. (http://www.kxan.com expired link)

NOVEMBER 2007

On 11/07/07 Gerardo Felipe ORTIZ was convicted of assault of a federal officer and faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Ortiz, who was shot and wounded by a Border Patrol agent in an El Paso, Texas parking lot in April, was found guilty of trying to run over the agent. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_7399563)

SEPTEMBER 2007

On 09/12/07 prominent business owner and city councilman for Ciudad Acuna, Coah., Mexico, Mario Cruz Espinosa Lobato, was gunned down at his part-time home in Del Rio, Texas. The gunmen were driving a vehicle with Mexico plates. In 2005, Los Zetas Cartel had attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint due to his persistent requests to Acuna leaders to control the drug gang. (FBI, DEL RIO NEWS-HERALD)

AUGUST 2007

On 08/03/07 a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot at a fleeing man in a heavy-duty pickup truck after he sped past agents at the port of entry at the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas. The suspect was apprehended with 2 children in the vehicle. (http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/truck-78960-customs-pickup.html)

On 08/10/07 Cuidad Juárez, Mexico resident Jose Alejandro Ortiz Castillo was shot and killed after he attempted to assault a Border Patrol agent with a rock. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6581948)

On 08/26/07 Laredo PD unraveled a Gulf Cartel hit squad network believed to be responsible for several murders and attempted hits in and around Laredo, Texas. The hit squads were comprised of Mexicans and Americans and were broken into 3 groups of varying levels of efficiency according to police. The hit squad was active in 2005 and 2006. The American group is believed to have been the favored and most effective of the groups. (http://madmax.lmtonline.com/textarchives/082607/s7.htm)

JULY 2007

On 07/22/07 a Border Patrol officer in Abram, Texas pulled over a suspected smuggler who opened fire on the officer. The officer returned fire. No injuries were reported. (http://www.themonitor.com/news/agent-3962-border-fired.html)

JUNE 2007

On 06/28/07 an illegal immigrant drowned in a border canal Wednesday after a U.S. Border Patrol agent trying to rescue him was hit in the head with a rock thrown by a suspected human smuggler. The agent 32

fired at least one shot at the suspected smuggler and another would-be immigrant, who fled back into Mexico. (http://www.mysanantonio.com)

APRIL 2007

On 04/24/07 a car thief in Hidalgo, Texas ran over a Mexican customs agent while trying to flee into the country through the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Agents attempted to stop the vehicle, after noticing the vehicle he was driving had sustained severe damage. (http://www.themonitor.com/articles/customs-1837-agent-authorities.html)

On 04/27/07 police on both sides of the Rio Grande were hunting for a man accused of shooting a U.S. Border Patrol officer in a south Laredo, Texas neighborhood. The officer was taken to Laredo Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his left hand. (http://www.lmtonline.com expired link)

MARCH 2007 On 03/02/07 six men are suspected of kidnapping 26-year-old Mateo Ezequiel Valiente Solis from his home in Laredo, Texas and taking him across the international border into Mexico, where he was shot twice and left for dead on the bank of the Rio Grande, a federal official said. (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA030207_border_kidnapping_EN.e23d41e.html21374.html)

FEBRUARY 2007

On 02/27/07 two suspects robbed a group of illegal aliens in Mexico. The six men were hiding in the brush along the Rio Grande when they were confronted by two men who took their money at gunpoint. Border Patrol agents learned of the robbery after catching the immigrants crossing into the U.S. about six miles east of the Zaragoza Bridge. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_5311887)

JANUARY 2007

In January 07 doctors, lawyers, and business people received phone threats from a man authorities believe is from Mexico and has ties with a drug cartel. (http://www.krgv.com)

2006

DECEMBER 2006

On 12/02/06 an El Paso, Texas immigrant smuggler held two brothers, ages 9 and 11, whose mother had been deported, and demanded $1,000 from their father. The case came to the agency's attention when the boys' father called the Border Patrol for help. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_4759174)

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On 12/21/06 in Laredo, Texas, 10 Texas Syndicate gang associates killed Julio A. Serrano, a Sinaloa Cartel hitman, in a botched kidnapping attempt. It is believed that the kidnapping was ordered by members of the Los Zetas wing of the Gulf Cartel. (BSOC, Laredo Morning Times 06/26/2008)

On 12/22/06 Border Patrols agents were shot at in broad daylight. It's the second time in two days agents have come under fire while working along the river. The agency believes the shooters are drug smugglers retaliating. (http://www.newschannel5.tv)

NOVEMBER 2006

In November 2006, Uriel ''Eli" Del Alba was abducted from his ranch north of town by seven armed men. Del Alba was rescued by police after a $150,000 ransom was paid. Two suspects were later apprehended. (Houston Chronicle 12/18/06, Hidalgo County SO)

On 11/03/06 six people were indicted on charges of human smuggling after the discovery last month of a house where dozens of illegal immigrants were being held at gunpoint. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4307673.html)

On 11/29/06 three U.S. citizens, including a prominent Laredo, Texas customs broker and a Sweetwater, Texas businessman, were kidnapped after going deer hunting in northern Mexico. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4366020.html http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA120506_01B_family_pleas_3003279_html8844.html)

OCTOBER 2006

On 10/14/06 Jose Garza Robles and Hector Herrera Sifuentes, associates of the Gulf Cartel, were indicted on charges of kidnapping a U.S. citizen. (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA101306_02B_kidnaparrest_35905a2_html5970.html)

On 10/22/06 a Border Patrol agent was shot in the foot while pursuing a man on a commonly used smuggling route near the Rio Grande River (an area frequented by Mexican Nationals involved in drug trafficking). A suspect fired at two agents southeast of McAllen, Texas before escaping into a wildlife refuge. The agent was treated at a McAllen hospital and released. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4279650.html)

SEPTEMBER 2006

On 09/25/06 two vehicles pulled into a Target parking lot in Laredo. Jesus DELEON, along with two individuals, exited their vehicle and entered the Target store. They were followed by a pursuing vehicle, whose occupants, armed with guns, also entered the Target Store. Laredo PD responded and took DELEON into custody (who was in the fleeing vehicle) and Jorge MORA (an occupant in the pursuing vehicle) along with a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, and a possible assault weapon. DELEON is suspected of an abduction attempt gone awry in which MORA was the target. The abduction for ransom was on behalf of an unidentified Zetas member to whom MORA owed a $100,000. (Texas DPS)

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AUGUST 2006

On 8/14/06 Round Rock PD attempted to stop a Ford Expedition which was being escorted by a Toyota Sienna. The Sienna attempted to deter the officer with aggressive driving and by blocking the officer. The officer stayed with the Expedition, and after a pursuit, the Expedition came to a stop and the driver fled the vehicle. The Expedition contained approximately 560 pounds of marijuana and the driver was later apprehended by the Georgetown PD. Upon questioning, the driver stated that Zetas members traveling in the Sienna were escorting his Expedition to its destination. The Zetas members had advised the Expedition driver to stop so they could pull alongside the patrol vehicle and open fire with automatic weapons. In-car video seemed to support this information but could not be verified as the Sienna was never located. (Round Rock PD)

JULY 2006

On 07/06/06 two armed men forced themselves into a home looking to kidnap the man who lived there. When the man could not be found the assailants stole the man's truck from his home. The incident comes on the heels of a teenager kidnapped and later released, and the murder of a Starr County jailer in Mexico. Both events are believed to involve members of the violent Zetas gang which operates in the county and across the border. (http://www.krgv.com)

On 07/14/06 Police and Border Patrol in Hidalgo County took on heavy fire from Mexico when they responded to a 911 call in Donna, Texas. When officers arrived, shooters from the Mexican side unleashed 200 to 300 rounds of ammunition. The wall of gunfire lasted five to seven minutes; American officers did not return fire, nor did they sustain any injuries. (AP article; link invalid)

MAY 2006

In May 2006 26-year-old Jose Perez was murdered in the parking lot of a seafood restaurant in Houston by a cell operating on orders of the Sinaloa Cartel, though Perez was not the intended target. Video released by Houston PD showed Perez putting his son in the family’s car as gunman jumped out from behind a nearby car and fired several shots striking Perez. The intended target, Santiago “Chago” Salinas, escaped the restaurant unharmed. (Houston Chronicle 2/18/10)

On 05/08/06 the FBI alerted Mexican authorities after a teen was kidnapped from outside his home in El Paso. An FBI statement said the case appeared to be related to drugs. Mexican authorities said the boy was held for a $40,000 ransom, which negotiations reduced to $17,000. Agents arrested Pedro Rocha Rios and Rodolfo Rivera Aguilar both of Juarez. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_3793913)

On 05/11/06 men wielding machetes and pistols detained a group of Salvadorans who crossed the border illegally and raped three of the women at gunpoint. The incident is similar to another earlier this week in which a Salvadoran woman was separated from a group of migrants and sexually assaulted in the same area. (http://www.statesman.com)

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APRIL 2006

On 4/2/06 Jesus Maria Resendez, a TEXAS SYNDICATE associate, and his 15 year old nephew were shot to death on a Laredo highway by armed men with AK-47 assault rifles. A probable cause affidavit for the case implicates Miguel Trevino-Morales AKA “40”, a high-ranking member of Los Zetas Cartel, in arranging the hit. (Laredo Morning Times, 1/25/10)

On 04/10/06 U.S. Citizens Jorge “Poncho” Aviles, 19, and Inez Villarreal, 14, were abducted from a Nuevo Laredo nightclub and taken to an abandoned house south of the border, tortured, gutted and then burned in 55-gallon drums, according to recenty (January 2009) unsealed federal court records. Gabriel Cardona was later indicted for the murders. Cardona’s case is part of a 47-count indictment that has led to the arrests of 14 defendants employed by the Gulf Cartel. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6217510.html)

On 04/11/06 SWAT teams Laredo PD and Webb County SO along with Laredo DPS Narcotics Sergeants assisted Laredo DEA agents in a cooperative effort in serving arrest warrants at a Laredo residence. Four Hispanic male suspects and confirmed hired guns for Los Zetas Cartel were arrested. State charges of Murder and Organized Crime were filed. It is believed that these suspects had a hit list with approximately fifteen names of individuals living in the Laredo, Texas area. (Sentry Report #002245)

MARCH 2006

On 03/20/06 a San Antonio, Texas resident was found by police in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; he was stabbed 13 times in the chest, arms and hands but there was no evidence he was robbed. (https://www.statesman.com)

On 03/25/06 a Mexican national was convicted of hostage taking and harboring an IA in connection with a scheme to extort money from the families of smuggled immigrants. Villicana-Lopez was tracked to Mission, where they found the two hostages and more than 40 other aliens from countries including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Argentina, Bolivia and China. (https://www.statesman.com)

FEBRUARY 2006

On 02/27/06 DPS Troopers in Rio Grande City, Texas received threats from Los Zetas members in response to the shooting of a Zetas member on January 14, 2006. (DPS)

JANUARY 2006

On 01/05/06 within the past week Border Patrol agents were fired at on two separate occasions from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River. Federal authorities were investigating the shootings, which were the 6th and 7th of the fiscal year. The incidents against Border Patrol agents signal an increase from the six shootings reported in fiscal year 2005. (http://www.southeasttexaslive.com)

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On 01/08/06 Rosalio “Bart” RETA, a Zetas hit man in Laredo, Texas, working for Zeta Leader MIGUEL ANGEL MORALES TREVINO “40” was ordered to kill a man who was dating a drug lord’s girlfriend. The hit squad mistakenly killed his brother, Noe Flores, and then later killed the target. RETA fled to Mexico, but was later arrested in Monterrey, Mexico in connection with the killing of four individuals in a bar. RETA requested to be extradited to the U.S. (Laredo PD, Dallas Morning News 11/10/07)

On 01/23/06 men in military uniforms driving a military Humvee pointed assault rifles at Texas peace officers to protect an SUV loaded with marijuana escaping back across the river into Mexico. A week later a carload of Mexican men came to the home of one of the Texas deputies who witnessed the standoff and threatened his wife, saying her husband should stay off the river. (NPR)

2005

MARCH 2005

On 03/24/05 four gunmen ambushed and killed a Mexican police officer in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The four gunmen then attempted to cross the border into the U.S. to avoid capture. U.S. agents with the aid of Mexican police killed one of the gunmen and apprehended the others. The killing was believed to be linked to an ongoing turf war between alleged drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” GUZMAN and members of Los Zetas. (DPS)

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