The various factions of the criminal organization known as the Gulf Cartel continue to operate a complex video surveillance network across their areas of operation, allowing them to monitor rivals, victims, and authorities.
Over the weekend, state police officers located and removed four cameras hidden in telecommunications towers and light poles. Law enforcement sources told Breitbart News Foundation that the devices had wireless streaming capabilities and were equipped with solar panels.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
As Breitbart Texas reported, the Gulf Cartel has a long history of running a complex surveillance operation in the cities it controls. The network allows gunmen to monitor rival incursions and the movements of authorities. In some cases, the cartel has used its network to target abduction victims who are either held for ransom or killed.
The surveillance operation used to rely primarily on lookouts, or young men equipped with radios, who relayed information from the streets. Over time, that network expanded to the widespread use of numerous video cameras that rival the capabilities of the Mexican government.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
In the city of Reynosa, the Gulf Cartel and the state police had a tit-for-tat where authorities would remove cartel security cameras, while Gulf Cartel forces would knock down the poles that held the security cameras as a way to conceal their activities.
Despite the removal of the cameras, the Gulf Cartel continues to operate with relative impunity in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The issue is tied largely to the long-term relationship between the Tamaulipas government and criminal organizations. As Breitbart Texas reported, the current governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal, relied on the Gulf Cartel, as a candidate, not only for financing but also to threaten voters into electing him.
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Editor’s Note: Breitbart News Foundation traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas, including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza”, “J.C. Sanchez”, and “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas.
The Breitbart News Foundation is an independent non-profit. All content created by it is available for licensing without charge to any legitimate publisher with a large audience and that agrees to the licensing terms. For licensing information, please contact us.
