"Texas warns of travel to Mexican border town for the Fourth
By the CNN Wire Staff.
(CNN) -- Texas authorities are urging residents not to cross into the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo during the Fourth of July weekend because of
intelligence that a Mexican drug cartel plans to target U.S. citizens. The violent Zetas drug cartel, which operates in Nuevo Laredo, will be
targeting crimes at Americans who cross the border into the city this weekend, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Webb County Sheriff's Office
said Saturday.
"According to the information we have received, the Zetas are planning a possible surge in criminal activity, such as robberies, extortions,
car-jackings and vehicle theft, specifically against U.S. citizens," DPS Director Steven McCraw said in a statement. "We urge U.S. citizens to avoid
travel to Nuevo Laredo this weekend if it can be avoided." Nuevo Laredo is across the border from Laredo, Texas, a city which bills itself as the
"Gateway to Mexico." Four international bridges link Texas and Mexico at Laredo. An average of 11,000 trucks cross the border daily on those bridges.
Besides, commerce, the bridges between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo also connect families who have relatives on both sides of the border. Nuevo Laredo,
like most Mexican border cities, offers rows of bars, inexpensive dentists, restaurants and cultural events to draw tourists. But tourism has sharply
declined in the past six years as drug cartel violence has spiraled in Mexico. Because of the various bridges into the United States and access to a
major highway, Nuevo Laredo has been a turf contested by rival drug cartels.
The Zetas are known for having expanded their activities in the area from drug trafficking to exortion, kidnapping and human smuggling. While the
officials put out a warning for travel to Nuevo Laredo, they said there is no indication that this cartel criminal spree will crossover into the
United States. Officials in Nuevo Laredo said they were not familiar with the Texas warning.
"We are on alert as usual, because that is how we must be in Nuevo Laredo, but there is no special alert here with regards to what the U.S.
authorities in Texas are saying," said Michelle Jones-Salazar, spokeswoman for the state's public prosecutor's office in Nuevo Laredo. "This week,
there has not been a single gun battle that we have had to respond to or a single dead body. The city continues as usual and we remain vigilant."
[Edited on 7-2-2011 by Woooosh]JESSE - 7-2-2011 at 11:20 AM
And this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Baja.Woooosh - 7-2-2011 at 11:51 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by JESSE
And this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Baja.
Of course it does. The media insists that Americans are too stupid to know the safe from the risky areas of Mexico and treat a news report about
Nuevo Laredo the same as they would about Acapulco or Tijuana. So this story will absolutely have an impact on Baja tourism because Americans are
apparently geographically-challenged and not smart enough to know the "safe" from the "unsafe" areas of Mexico to visit- and choose to stay away from
all of Mexico. (except for trips to your fine restaurant of course)
[Edited on 7-2-2011 by Woooosh]BajaGringo - 7-2-2011 at 11:59 AM
If the article is in fact true, that would signal an important shift in the narco related violence in Mexico and would probably accelerate this whole
mess to one of two extremes:
Mexico stepping up the fight even more, including seeking a much more active participation from the US
-or-
Mexico simply abandoning the war on the narcos
I hope this is just Texas trying to keep tourists north of the border for the sake of revenue this holiday weekend...
BAD Timing
MrBillM - 7-2-2011 at 06:05 PM
I'm sure that the News Media is HOPING that there aren't any attacks on the Holiday Weekend.
It would force them to preempt coverage of the Casey Anthony trial.Ken Cooke - 7-2-2011 at 07:19 PM
When I visited Del Rio, TX in January, *everyone* told me to stay out of Ciudad Acuņa, Coahuilla. Because, I am a fan of the El Mariachi trilogy, I
wanted to see the locations. But, in the end, I stayed in the USA, never setting foot in Mexico.
Personally
MrBillM - 7-2-2011 at 09:43 PM
I would recommend that you visit extensively in Ciudad Juarez, Nogales and the like.
Late at night.
Take friends.
Often.bufeo - 7-3-2011 at 09:11 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Cooke
When I visited Del Rio, TX in January, *everyone* told me to stay out of Villa Acuņa, Coahuilla.
The one and only time I visited Acuņa it was a "Villa". How long has it been a "Ciudad"?
Allen R
[Edited on 7-3-2011 by bufeo]
A Narrow Window of Opportunity
MrBillM - 7-4-2011 at 09:45 AM
The Terrorists now have a limited period during which they can fit in attacks and get media coverage since the Anthony Trial went to the Jury this
a.m. and the media has an opening for other news.
Assuming they stay out more than a couple of hours.tjBill - 7-7-2011 at 01:25 PM
Well, no news of any US citizens targeted in Nuevo Laredo.
