As gun violence associated with drug cartels is spiraling around them, US consulate employees in the border town of Matamoros in Mexico were given the order to “shelter in place” on Monday.
Four Americans were abducted in the said town in March, and two of them were later executed after they were reportedly mistaken for cartel rivals.
Four people were reportedly killed in a shootout with the Mexican military in the neighboring city, located across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, which led to Monday’s lockdown.
Employees of the US Consulate General in Matamoros are required to hide in place until one thirty in the afternoon in Matamoros due to gun violence that occurs in the city, the consulate posted on X on Monday.
The consulate also added that they were advised to take cover and monitor local news for updates in their respective areas.
Additionally, a state official said that authorities found weapons and tactical gear when the gunmen attacked a Mexican marine patrol.
The Mexican border town is home to the Gulf Cartel, a criminal and drug trafficking organization. In Matamoros, there is additional activity from the Jalisco Cartel New Generation.
The Gulf Cartel admitted that some members were involved in the crime and expressed regret in a letter to the Mexican authorities in March when the American tourists were apprehended, and two of them were killed.
Furthermore, the group comprised five members who claimed responsibility for the murders on March 3rd.
Shaeed Woodard, one of the Americans killed in March, had gone to Mexico so his cousin Latavia McGee could undergo a belly tuck. This same group included Zindell Brown, the other US citizen who was killed.
On their route to McGee’s treatment, the four kidnapping victims reportedly started to lose track in the region.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the lawmakers who called for the cartels to be designated as foreign domestic terrorist organizations, said the gruesome kidnapping and killings incited outrage in Washington.
In a letter to Mexican police, the Gulf Cartel expressed regret for the involvement of sure of its members in the murder. Additionally, the gang surrendered five people they claim were involved in the killings on March 3.
