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Heavy Patrols Continue in Reynosa Following Reports of Violence

6 years 2 months 3 days ago Wednesday, January 24 2018 Jan 24, 2018 January 24, 2018 1:09 PM January 24, 2018 in News

HIDALGO – Heavy patrols continue in Reynosa after a morning of gunfire, roadblocks and government warnings.

The government said once again criminal groups are battling it out on the streets. It all started around 8 a.m. Wednesday when state security reported gunfire in the area and said they’re deploying patrols to clear up roadblocks.

Then around 8:48 a.m., they said Marines and Army were getting involved. They asked the public to move aside on the roads. Then a few minutes later, helicopters began patrolling.

At 9:18 a.m., authorities said all roadblocks are clear but ground and air patrols will continue.

People at the Hidalgo International Bridge said the disturbance was outside of downtown. Those who were downtown said the area is very quiet and empty in the morning.

One witness said there were shootouts where she lived. “A lot of helicopters above the houses. Around nine, everything started with the roadblocks,” she said.

Those areas affected include Boulevard Imaq and Colosio, close to the Pharr Bridge, and Avenida Tecnológica, an area by the Anzalduas Bridge.

Since then, the government says roadblocks have been cleared.

A security expert tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS the roadblocks and gunfire Wednesday morning in Reynosa may be part of a new chapter in the struggle for cartel control.

Art Fontes, a security expert and former FBI agent, tells us it’s still too early to know for sure, but reports say the government killed a top criminal boss in Reynosa, sparking the violence.

“The state of Tamaulipas is very aggressive right now targeting some high-level people. They’re going after a lot of the heads of the cartels,” he said.

Fontes says he expects the violence to continue in the coming weeks and months as rival factions from Matamoros and Reynosa battle it out.

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