A well-known Mexican cartel shared video footage via messaging groups that allegedly showed loaded explosive devices coming from a drone, according to a report from Breitbart.
The Gulf Cartel reportedly uses these newfound drones to drop explosives on rivals, Mexican police forces, and rival gangs in their ongoing turf war in the northern part of Tamaulipas. Law enforcement sources who shared the video with Breitbart claim that the video was recorded between the end of November and early December in the city of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. Rio Bravo is mere miles from Donna, Texas.
This is an escalation of the ongoing tensions between cartels near the American southern border. A faction of the Gulf Cartel has been waging a turf war with a rival faction for control of drug and human smuggling routes into the United States.
The two factions have reportedly been using armored vehicles, makeshift landmines, IEDs, and other explosive devices to wage an internal war.
Initially, the explosives were reportedly being used along dirt roads to fend off rivals. However, amid escalating tensions, the cartel members have reportedly used the drones to target police officers. Despite efforts from the local government to diminish information, officials ultimately confirmed that cartel members used drones to drop explosives on a convoy of armored police vehicles.
The escalation in turf war tactics comes after the arrest of a former U.S. Army soldier. William Louis Anhert was working with one faction of the Gulf Cartel and reportedly teaching them how to build explosive devices, according to a report from Breitbart.
Anhert was arrested by Mexican authorities and flown to Mexico City. He faces federal charges tied to the manufacturing of explosives. Details of Anhert’s military career are unclear. He’s reportedly a U.S. citizen and is wanted in Colorado for sex-related crimes.
