In Tamaulipas, a Mexican border state, police have been neglecting innocent victims of cartel violence and failing to respond to attack scenes. This has created an environment where cartel gunmen can operate without fear of repercussions, even with officials asserting that crime is decreasing in cartel-dominated regions.
A stark example emerged recently when a couple running a fruit shop in Ciudad Victoria was attacked. Despite the assault occurring in the downtown area, mere steps from their headquarters, the Tamaulipas State Police (National Guard) did not intervene.
The incident involved four gunmen on motorcycles who approached the small business and opened fire. Both owners were hit multiple times in the barrage. Following the shooting, the husband managed to lift his injured wife into their pickup truck and hurried to a nearby hospital. In his haste, he collided with another vehicle but continued onward, disregarding the chaos behind them. Remarkably, the Tamaulipas police still did not respond to the attack.
As he raced to get medical help, he ran a red light and crashed into a vehicle trailing him. This collision sent their pickup into a house, flipping it over. The driver of the other vehicle, believing it to be a hit-and-run, followed the couple to assist after witnessing their critical condition. Sadly, the husband succumbed to his injuries the following Wednesday.
Once again, the state police did not show up at either of the crash sites. Only investigators from the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office came to look into what had happened.
Sources in law enforcement suggested that the couple was innocent and lacked any criminal record, indicating that their assault likely stemmed from their failure to pay extortion demands from cartel members. They also reported that the police had received prior warnings to remain indoors, apparently relayed by a high-ranking official linked to criminal groups.
This attack occurred merely weeks after another targeted assassination carried out by cartel members in Ciudad Victoria. Once again, police failed to respond when needed.
The MORENA party currently governs Tamaulipas, under the leadership of America Villarreal, whose connections to various criminal organizations are under investigation on both sides of the border. Reports suggest that during his campaign, Villarreal was backed by the Gulf Cartel, which allegedly coerced voters and funneled illegal funds into his campaign.
