Thread: More on arms seized at U.S. - Mexican border town

23 February 2007: On February 11, 2007, a tractor-trailer registered in Texas and containing a large shipment of weapons, ammunition and a Nissan pickup truck fitted with armor and bullet-proof glass was stopped by the Mexican army in Matamoros, just south of the U.S. border at Brownsville, Texas.



The weapons seized included 18 M-16 assault rifles, including at least one equipped with an M-203 40mm grenade launcher, several M-4 carbines, 17 handguns of various calibers, over 200 magazines for different weapons, and more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, assault vests and other military accessories.



Although the origin of the shipment is unclear, it is vividly obvious that areas along the U.S.-Mexican border are as much war zones as transshipment points. Matamoros has long been recognized as a vital choke point for the shipment of drugs, weapons and illegal aliens, including Islamic terrorists, into the United States from Mexico. Based on the sophistication of the weapons seized earlier this month, it is apparent that a battle is shaping up just across the border from Brownsville – one that will undoubtedly have ominous implications for those protecting our southern border.





http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/TamaulipasWeapons

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Mexico: The Coming Fight for Control of Matamoros?
February 16, 2007 19 00 GMT

Hundreds of Mexican soldiers briefly patrolled the streets of Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state, Feb. 15 as part of the federal government's response to the seizure on the U.S.-Mexican border of a large weapons shipment that passed through the capital. The contents of the cache suggest an effort is under way to equip or reinforce a heavily armed unit of enforcers for one of Mexico's two main drug cartels. The cartels, in other words, appear to be gearing up to fight for ultimate control of Matamoros.

The Mexican attorney general's office announced Feb. 11 that a tractor-trailer containing weapons and an armored pickup was seized by the Mexican army in Matamoros, just south of the U.S. border at Brownsville, Texas. Among the weapons seized were 18 M-16 assault rifles, including at least one equipped with an M-203 40mm grenade launcher, and several M-4 carbines. Also recovered were 17 handguns of various calibers, more than 200 magazines for different weapons, more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, assault vests and other military accessories. A Nissan Titan pickup truck outfitted with armor and bullet-proof glass also was inside the trailer.

The semi, which was registered in the United States, entered Matamoros from the south after having passed through both Ciudad Victoria and Valle Hermoso. It is unclear where the shipment originated, though it could have come from Central America, or even the United States along a circuitous route designed to avoid police roadblocks and other anti-smuggling measures. Putting soldiers on the streets of Ciudad Victoria, even for a few hours, might have been President Felipe Calderon's way of telling the cartels that authorities know what is going on there.

Matamoros, however, is where the real battle appears to be gearing up. Matamoros is in territory controlled by the Gulf cartel, the main rival of the powerful Sinaloa federation of cartels -- and it is possible the Gulf cartel's enforcers were attempting to prepare for an expected fight with the Sinaloa federation over control of the city's drug-smuggling operations.

One indication of this is the type of weapons and equipment seized. The identical assault vests, load-bearing equipment and other accessories, along with the standardized nature of the rifles -- exclusively variants of the M-16 -- indicate the shipment probably was meant to equip or reinforce a single heavily armed unit rather than an unorganized gang. Therefore, the Zetas -- former Mexican elite soldiers who work for the Gulf cartel as enforcers -- stand out as the mostly likely intended recipient of these weapons. Given their military background, the Zetas would want to have a high degree of standardization in the weapons and equipment they use, and they also would be more comfortable with M-16s, which are standard issue in the Mexican army.

Matamoros is a vital transshipment point, or "plaza," for the movement of drugs and other contraband into the United States from Mexico. From border towns like Matamoros that sit astride highways, high-ranking cartel members known as gatekeepers control the traffic of contraband across the border, collect payments from smugglers and oversee money-laundering operations for the cartels.

Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas, who had run his operation from a Mexican prison since his 2003 arrest, was extradited to the United States in January, which could hinder his efforts to maintain control of the Matamoros region. The Sinaloa federation, then, might have decided to take advantage of the disruption in the Gulf cartel's command structure to make a play for the plaza at Matamoros.

Although Matamoros has not seen much cartel-related violence recently, that could change as the Zetas move to repel attempts by the Sinaloa federation to assert its influence in the city.

http://www.stratfor.com/products/premiu ... d=Analyses

And Bush wants to open our roads to Mexican trucks??????????

God help us.

Yeah thats whats coming to America,,,Sad to say mexico will likely destroy our Economy. We are not going to become a power house like the EU, more like the African union.

MATTHEW
the EU countries are on their collective arses.
No "powerhouse" there.......thanx to unfettered MIGRATION.

Not only are they financially hurting, their crime is skyrocketing.

The EU is a preview of our country if the SPP/NAU is NOT stopped!

Oh man, this is some serious stuff! I would like to know where they got it.
Take a look at the bottom pic, the rounds with the red tips are tracer rounds and if I remember right the blue tips are armor piercing rounds.
All of this is military weaponry and not sold to the public.

Man, is this scary.
During the hearings re the border I recall a police officer from the TX border area talking about how the Zetas were much better armed than we are.
How can any politician in their right freaking mind be for open borders with this country?

Take a look at the bottom pic, the rounds with the red tips are tracer rounds and if I remember right the blue tips are armor piercing rounds.

The Ammunition is heavy duty. You just know too that many of these gangs around the country have this same stuff and then some. What is just as scary is that some (don't know the number it may be very few) service members are gang members and from what I am reading "some" are returning to their old ways when they get out except they now may have intimate knowledge of such weaponry and how to improve guerilla tactics.

Originally Posted by AlturaCt

Take a look at the bottom pic, the rounds with the red tips are tracer rounds and if I remember right the blue tips are armor piercing rounds.

The Ammunition is heavy duty. You just know too that many of these gangs around the country have this same stuff and then some. What is just as scary is that some (don't know the number it may be very few) service members are gang members and from what I am reading "some" are returning to their old ways when they get out except they now may have intimate knowledge of such weaponry and how to improve guerilla tactics.

This is very true and what is just as scary is the fact that these weapons can be bought on the black market.
I would hope the FBI is all over this.
I did some checking around and the blue tips are armor piercing rounds, what in the heck are they going to do with that?

Originally Posted by Kate

And Bush wants to open our roads to Mexican trucks??????????

God help us.

Good point, Kate! This is just an example of weapons that MEXICAN TRUCKS, will be shipping into the U.S.
By allowing Mexican trucks to drive all over our highways, it will sure make it easier for all the crug cartels to carry out their business.
And just think about all the "Human Cattle" that can be shipped in those big rigs.

(mod edit) What are our leaders thinking of, are they so hell bent on destroying Amreica? Why? Does money really trump everything held sacred in our country?