13 Killed in Gunfight on US/MX Falcon Lake

Twelve suspected members of the Zetas Cartel and one Mexican Marine died in the gunfight on the Mexican bank of Falcon Lake in the narco war-torn state of Tamaulipas on Sunday. Mexican officials said the skirmish started when marines on patrol in the lake discovered a suspicious-looking campsite on the island and the suspects opened fire. Officials said the gang was using the island as a jumping off point to smuggle marijuana into the U.S. using speedboats. Marines found a cache of assault rifles and other weapons hidden there.

Falcon Lake, a section of the Rio Grande about 40 miles south of Laredo, Texas, made headlines last fall after a woman said Mexican pirates chased down and shot her husband in the head. The pair had been riding jet skis back from the Mexican side of the lake. Officials called off a search for David Hartley on Oct. 14, shortly after the lead investigator on the case, Police Commander Rolando Flores, was killed and decapitated. Hartley’s body has not been found. In March, authorities in Zapata County, Texas, said they had identified four suspects in the killing and that all of them were Zetas.

Category: LEO Specific, MIL, Threats