Mexican military sheds light on recent attacks
REYNOSA — A deadly grenade attack on sailors in this border city stoked an already escalating struggle between the Mexican navy and members of organized crime south of the Rio Grande, officials announced.
A military convoy was conducting an early-morning patrol on Feb. 8 at highway Libramiento Monterrey when several vehicles began circling sailors suspiciously along the road, according to a written statement posted on the Mexican navy’s Web site. The passengers then lobbed grenades and opened fire on navy personnel, killing a captain and two seamen and injuring eight others.
Three suspected organized crime members also died, according to the news release. Federal authorities arrested three suspected assailants and seized 14 vehicles used during the attack.
A week later, investigators used information from the scene of the attack to locate and arrest Iván "El Trevi" Treviño Cardoza. Treviño is suspected of stealing oil and transporting marijuana for the Zetas, the former enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel.
Along with Treviño, navy sailors also arrested two Reynosa police officers, Faustino Reyes Betancourt and Alejandro Torres Olivares. Others arrested include Rafael "El Rafa" Salmerón Hinojosa, Lauro Zaens Olivar, Arturo Robledo Sánchez, Sergio del Callejo Garza, Adolfo Vázquez Ortiz and José Alberto Ramírez Gaitán.
Three days after Treviño’s arrest, navy sailors raided a Petróleos Mexicanos — better known as Pemex — oil refinery near Reynosa that was reportedly invaded by a group of armed gunmen who forced employees off the site. A navy helicopter fired at the intruders from above and helped sailors on the ground seize five vehicles. No arrests or injuries were reported amid the attack.
The news bulletin comes amid a wave of confusion in Reynosa, where officials have until now remained reluctant to detail the extent of violence there.
Reynosa Mayor Oscar Luebbert Gutierrez told The Monitor that the raid left his city’s people panicking — Luebbert said about 500 sailors surrounded an area near two of Reynosa’s biggest schools. Each has more than 2,000 students.
The navy was reportedly pursuing Miguel "Zeta 40" Treviño Morales, second-in-command of the Zetas who oversaw the operations of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas — collectively known as "The Company" — in Veracruz and Nuevo Laredo.
"The navy had an ongoing operation," the mayor said. "There was a helicopter flying over the area. … They deployed sailors on top of the school."
The naval commandos failed to capture Treviño Morales, who remains on the run.
The hysteria has paralyzed much of Reynosa, where schools have been shuttered and businesses have closed their doors in recent weeks.
Further fueling the confusion, media outlets in that city have not reported on drug violence in recent weeks — reporters there say they are under threat by members of organized crime, who are monitoring the release of information.
Mexico is one of the deadliest countries in the world for reporters.
People instead have been turning to social media, like Facebook and Twitter, where fact mingles with rumor.
Meanwhile, Tamaulipas and Reynosa officials have urged residents to remain calm, saying reports of violence have merely been rumors fueled by Internet postings.
"The mayor just says nothing is happening here," one reporter said. "Nobody is giving information. It’s dangerous here."
OTHER ATTACKS
According to the navy statement, sailors also arrested four armed people in Valle Hermoso — a city about 25 miles southwest of Matamoros — on Feb. 18.
The Mexican army reported in another news release that four suspected organized crime members died in that city after they fought with soldiers Thursday.
Soldiers were driving north along Highway 99 from Valle Hermoso to Matamoros when a group of gunmen driving three newer-model SUVs opened fire on them about 9:20 a.m. that day.
The soldiers fired back, killing four purported members of organized crime. They also seized a Cadillac Escalade SUV and a large weapons cache.
Another statement issued by the Mexican army reports seven people died amid a series of shootings in and around Miguel Alemán, Ciudad Mier and Valadeces — located across the border from Starr County — between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday. The deceased include six members of organized crime and one soldier. One high-ranking official and 10 other soldiers were injured amid the attacks. Authorities seized 14 vehicles and a large weapons cache, including 10 fragmentation grenades.
Earlier this week, officials had put Miguel Alemán’s death toll at four.
