Raging cartel violence in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo led to seven murders and five injuries during a three-day span. Cartel gunmen are often seen in armored convoys with mounted machine guns, grenade launchers, and .50 caliber rifles.

The intensity of the shootouts led Texas authorities and the U.S. Consulate to issue notices to not cross into Mexico. New law enforcement information notes five innocent bystanders were shot–three fatally.

On Thursday evening, a convoy from the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas ambushed a squad of Tamaulipas state police in a section of the city known as the “Joroba” or “Hump.” One state officer died and a second was seriously wounded while the gunmen managed to escape, according to local authorities. That attack led to a series of manhunts for members of “Hell’s Troops” or “Tropa del Infierno.”

#OJO #NuevoLaredo #Tamaulipas Así repelieron la agresión policías estatales vs Cártel Del Noreste / Tropa Del Infierno Vídeo 1 Saldo:

1 policía muerto

1 policía herido pic.twitter.com/tf313KkOB7 — La Voz Del Pueblo (Oficial) (@LPueblo2) January 3, 2020

The violence began on New Year’s Eve when Tamaulipas authorities came close to capturing one of the top leaders of the CDN-Zetas in a fierce shootout where three gunmen died. In that skirmish, top CDN-Los Zetas boss Hector Raul “El Tory” Luna Luna was injured but managed an escape.

In response to the near-capture and the increasing police presence, the CDN is carrying out more attacks on law enforcement.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ 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 Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.