Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Truck with OK tags burns in Mexico after shootout

An American trailer full of drugs, weapons and explosives burned in Nueva Laredo after Mexican Army troops confronted gunman inside the truck. At least three died after a shootout. Three days later, 11 bodies were found nearby.

You know where we're going with this: Why on earth would the U.S. government consider opening the border to Mexican trucks during a brutal drug war in which cross-border trucks are used to transport drugs and weapons?

The Neglected War blog tells us the truck had marking showing it belonged to Transportación Frayre de Nuevo Laredo fleet, but the trailer had Oklahoma tags.
As troops opened the trailer doors to inspect the cargo they came under fire from gunmen inside the trailer.
During the firefight that followed munitions inside the trailer detonated, resulting in the fiery destruction of the tractor-trailer and the dead of the three gunmen.
Residents reported that the inferno burned for approximately 30 minutes during which a large number of munitions fired off.
No civilians were reported injured by exploding rounds.
After the fire was extinguished authorities reported finding: cocaine, methamphetamine, 31 rifles, 9 handguns, 1 rocket launcher, 16 grenades, 156 magazines, 71 radios, 13 cell phones, and currency; most of them destroyed.
That was on Friday. Three days later, 11 bodies were discovered near the scene of the shootout. Reports Borderland Beat:
Seven bodies were found shot execution style at Km.#7 and and the remainder at Km.#11 of Federal Highway 2 which connects the freight only World Trade Bridge to the Nuevo Laredo- Monterrey Highway.
At this time the victims, who all shared similar buzz cuts and are estimated to be between the ages of 17 and 29, remain unidentified.
How they got there and who killed them is still being investigated.