REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Once again, one of the top leaders within Mexico’s Gulf Cartel has managed to escape capture mere yards from the Texas border.

Through intelligence operations, Mexican Marines had located Julian “Comandante Toro” Loisa Salinas at a small open air shopping plaza in the city’s downtown area near Zaragoza Street. The shopping center was less than 150 meters from the Reynosa City Hall and less than 300 yards from the Texas border.

The Mexican Marines requested air support and additional troops to ensure that the man they had spotted was Comandante Toro. Cartel lookouts noticed the activity by military personnel and sounded the alarm, setting off an escape operation by Gulf Cartel forces.

A military helicopter chased and shot at a black Nissan Pathfinder that tried to flee the area at a high rate of speed. The shots from the helicopter disabled the truck forcing the men inside to run out into the nearby shops and buildings in an effort to blend in with the crowd. The gunmen running into the market caused panic among the local shoppers.

Cartel lookouts received orders to hide and blend among the shoppers while military personnel set up a perimeter around the downtown area and began a search for the gunman they believed to be Toro. Meanwhile, the real Toro managed to sneak out to safety.

Breitbart Texas has spoken with law enforcement officials who revealed that some military deserters make up part of Toro’s personal security detail. The former personnel are familiar with military tactics, apparently helping Toro avoid capture.

In an effort to confuse military forces, cartel members began to stack tires that were then set on fire. Cartel trucks drove around the city distributing tires while gunmen stole various vehicles from unsuspecting motorists. The vehicles were used to park along main roads and set on fire to create additional roadblocks.

In the afternoon, citizen journalists began to speak about the capture and eventual release of a cartel commander named “Beto” or “Betito” who has been described as Toro’s relative. The information of his capture has not been confirmed or disproven by authorities.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “A.C. Del Angel” from Reynosa.