The Rumorosa ranch where the two charred bodies were found, in Villaldama, Nuevo León Nuevo León Prosecutor’s Office
It was only the second day of the year. In Salinas Victoria, a town of 13,000 people 35 kilometers from Monterrey, an armed group violently seized a ranch and opened fire on a group of police officers from that town. Reinforcements arrived and managed to capture 10 people armed with large calibers. In the chaos, some managed to escape in groups through the endless deserted streets of the north. On their way, they found some ranches that served as refuges. The perfect hiding place to avoid military searches and await new orders. As the days passed, the owner and one of his employees arrived. When authorities managed to reach the site, they found two charred bodies. The suspects had fled in the victim’s stolen van and died in an accident when the vehicle overturned and police were hot on their heels.
The death of cattle dealer Gustavo Levy and his employee, whose name has not been released, has shocked the local population in a new wave of violence in Nuevo León. Levy was known in the industry as one of the founders of the Mexican Association of Beefmaster Cattle Breeders, with awards and medals for cattle merit and ecosystem preservation. His ranch was simply on the so-called “Highway of Death,” the escape route from Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo that the armed group to which the Northeast Cartel belongs used to invade new areas. Civil Force has detailed that the identity card “is from the neighboring state of Tamaulipas, which is trying to settle in points north of Nuevo León”.
The group of refugees had holed up on the ranch for several days. They had long arms, chargers, bulletproof vests and drugs in their possession. They had fled a crossfire between security forces and the criminal group five days earlier in Salinas Victoria, just an hour from Levy’s home.
They were moments of horror that Gerardo Palacios, Minister of Public Security, detailed on his Twitter account. “Surprised members of organized crime shot Salinas Victoria police officers. Civilian forces, Ministry Police, Municipality, National Guard and Army who came to support were met with 50 caliber bullets,” he reported. According to Palacios, the confrontation on that Monday, January 2, was a reaction to the dismantling of a “complete cell” on December 23. Two plainclothes police officers and one city official in uniform were killed in the exchange of fire in the middle of the street. There were also two suspects killed and 10 detained, including a 15-year-old teenager.
(1/2) In Salinas Victoria, a joint operation has led to the following results: 10 organized crime members arrested; 10 firearms seized; and the confiscation of chargers and tactical vests.
— Gerardo Palacios (@GerardoPPmanes) January 5, 2023
After the shooting, the group was “atomized” and had to be tracked separately. Some of them decided to forcibly take over another ranch, one dedicated to raising the imposing brown Beefmaster cows. There were a few workers who lived on the property Monday through Friday. Banned from leaving the country, they were held there until Thursday when the owner and an attendant arrived. The criminals were under the influence of drugs and “instantly” killed Gustavo Levy and his employees.
That day, five of the criminals decided to return home. They had received no orders from their commanders in Nuevo Laredo and were being followed very closely by a full police and military presence. They left in the red truck they stole from the farmhands. They had driven a few kilometers along the highway towards Colombia at the border when they met agents from the Civil Defense Forces and the pursuit began. The vehicle overturned and the five occupants died.
The comrade guarding the two charred bodies was surprised by the city police when he went to buy a soft drink in the city. Agents found a long gun hidden in a backpack, and the suspect refused to part because he could not return to Nuevo Laredo without the gun, not without paying “a serious consequence” in the structure of the criminal area, according to Palacios. Another was held at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Three more escaped.
“It was an absurd and reckless attack,” said Palacios, who stressed that the criminal group’s intentions to spread through Nuevo León had cost the police many victims, but also the cartel. “This is how we defend ourselves in Nuevo León,” he said in an unwavering tone. The secretary used the press conference to reiterate the need to further expand security resources, helicopters and barracks, and increase the number of agents in rural areas to keep armed clashes away from the metropolis. This time, however, the strategy did not prevent the deaths of two civilians.
Carolina Levy, daughter of the deceased, fired her father on social media with an emotional text denouncing the growing insecurity in the area. “This is also a requiem for the peace that has been taken from our beloved lands in the north of the country,” he posted on Instagram. “They took us this walk which we enjoyed as we were awash with that free tranquility on their paths. We will be reunited my beloved Sierra, you will revive and we will return with more strength to the Mexico we long for, “he adds.
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