The cartel that controls the border city of Nuevo Laredo is forcing some local gas stations to deny fuel to police and military customers to limit patrols against organized crime.

The Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas threatened various gas stations in Nuevo Laredo, saying they would burn establishments if they supplied gasoline to Tamaulipas State Police and the Mexican military. The news was first reported by Mexico’s Televisa, who obtained a recorded conversation between a gas station operator and a Nuevo Laredo city official. In that conversation, the businessman revealed he was threatened and was not going to take a chance on serving authorities–even with protection in place.

In response to the service shortage, authorities escorted a gasoline truck inside a military base for secure refueling. The tactic to limit law enforcement operations comes at a time when Tamaulipas State Police are cracking down on the the CDN.

Without the help of Mexican federal police, Tamaulipas cops killed over a dozen CDN gunmen in recent days to keep the violent cartel from spreading terror throughout the region. In recent weeks, the CDN used armored trucks with mounted machine guns, .50 caliber rifles, and grenade launchers to counter authorities. The gunmen are also pushing east into the territories controlled by the Gulf Cartel, setting off lengthy and terrifying shootouts among local residents.

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.