Narco-violence spills into US

Laredo - Laredo, Texas area ranches reportedly have been engulfed in the narco-violence from Nuevo Laredo in Mexico. Twelve dead, twenty one injured in Nuevo Laredo.

From multiple sources including Cypress Times, it appears members of Los Zetas have taken over at least two ranches in the Laredo, Texas region. Los Zetas has in the past operated as the enforcement wing of the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug ring operating throughout the Gulf Coast region of Mexico. In a contact with the Laredo Police Dept. Public Information Officer, Officer Baeza could not confirm the takeover of the two ranches in the area. Officer Baeza did state

the Laredo Police Dept. has full control of the situation at this time and no incursions by Mexican nationals (Los Zetas) are known to have occurred.

The links above to Cypress Times and also to Mark Harvey's Snooper Report (who is on the ground in the area) though, confirm the existence of Mexican Nationals having gained access to the ranches and the occupants of the ranches having evacuated the ranch sites. The discrepancy in reports may have to do with the location of the ranches as being in outlying areas from Laredo, rather than in the city of Laredo. The battles which may have spurred the alleged cross border incursion this past weekend have taken as many as 12 lives, injured 21 and involved the use of fragmentation grenades as well as small arms fire from assault weapons.