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Hours-Long Gun Battle Breaks Out in Mexican Border City After Cartel Leader's Arrest

Julio Rosas
Julio Rosas  |  December 01, 2022 12:55 PM

The Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo experienced another day of chaos following the arrest of a high-ranking leader of the Northeast Cartel, an offshoot of Los Zetas, by Mexican authorities.

The U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo tweeted on Monday morning about an "emergency situation" in the town that borders Laredo, Texas, telling U.S. citizens to shelter in place.

 Large amounts of automatic gunfire can be heard in videos posted to social media.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the gun battles broke out in response to the arrest of a cartel leader but the suspect had already been taken to Mexico City, according to Fox News. The gunfire stopped but schools and visa appointments were canceled for the day.

Once a stronghold for Los Zetas, Nuevo Laredo is a highly contested city for different cartels because of its importance for drug smuggling into the United States. While it has seen an increase in illegal crossings due to the ongoing border crisis, the different criminal groups are mainly focused on narcotics.

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