In a troubling development, cartel gunmen have started deploying landmines again in a region of Mexico bordering Texas. Recently, there were multiple attacks where innocent farmers were killed by explosives while traveling to their ranches. In another incident, five police officers suffered injuries from a landmine explosion.
This surge in violence is part of an ongoing turf battle between the Los Zetas (CDN) Cartel del Noreste faction and the Gulf Cartel, both vying for control over northern Nuevo León and Tamaulipas states. Notably, these groups have a history of using explosives and are classified as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
The first attack happened around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, prompting police and investigators from Nuevo León to rush to a rural area close to Dr. Cos due to an explosion. Upon arrival, they discovered remnants of a farm truck alongside various bone fragments. An explosives and forensics team was called in to investigate. They uncovered an ID card believed to belong to a resident who had likely driven over a makeshift landmine set by the cartel.
A few hours later, another incident unfolded in the countryside near Dr. Kos. Officers from the Fuerza Civil Police were patrolling dirt roads when their vehicle passed over different mines. While the five officers sustained various injuries, they managed to request backup and medical assistance. Investigators are trying to determine if their vehicle was detonated by a landmine or if the cartel used drones to drop explosives in this attack.
Emergency services transported the injured officers to a hospital in Monterrey. Four of them are reported to be in stable condition and are expected to recover, while the fifth officer remains in critical condition.
