Mexican authorities are investigating the murder of 14 victims, including an infant, during a party in the coastal state of Veracruz. The murder marks the latest episode of violence in a region where cartel gunmen openly challenge Mexico’s government and appear to surpass the capabilities of police agencies.

The murders took place on Friday night in the town of Minatitla which is located in the southern part of Veracruz. According to Mexico’s Proceso, the gunmen stormed a restaurant bar called La Potra during a private party. The gunmen allegedly tried to kidnap the owner of the business. As some of the people in attendance tried to intervene, the cartel assassins began firing indiscriminately into the crowd killing 13 adults and one infant.,The gunmen wounded four others.

The murder victims included five women, seven men, and the young infant male.

After the attack, Veracruz’s Public Safety Secretary Hugo Gutierrez Maldonado announced a sear operation in an attempt to capture the cartel gunmen.

Fuerzas Federales y Estatales han desplegado un fuerte operativo de búsqueda y captura de los responsables de los sucesos ocurridos en Minatitlán. Así mismo solicitamos la colaboración de la @FGE_Veracruz a fin de realizar el proceso de investigación correspondiente. — Hugo Gutiérrez Maldonado (@HGutierrez_M) April 20, 2019

As Breitbart News reported last month, Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) declared war on the Veracruz government through a series of banners and then carried out a series of high-profile attacks that spread terror through the state. For several years, CJNG and Los Zetas have been fighting for control of Veracruz and its lucrative shipping ports that provide access to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.