Mexican authorities arrested a former U.S. soldier who had allegedly been building explosives for the Gulf Cartel just south of the Texas border. The arrest had been kept largely under wraps as federal authorities built up the case against him, as he stands accused of manufacturing land mines and other explosives.
Breitbart Texas confirmed with sources from Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office that in May, a group of federal officers arrested William Louis Anhert in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. The arrest came during a raid at a camp used by the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel. During that raid, authorities arrested several Gulf Cartel gunmen and seized various explosive devices and components.
Almost immediately after the arrest, Mexican authorities flew Anhert to Mexico City, where he has been held while awaiting trial on various federal charges tied to Mexico’s weapons and explosives laws. According to Mexican authorities, Anhert is a U.S. military veteran. However, details of his military career were not released. Anhert, a U.S. citizen, is reportedly wanted in Colorado for sex-related crimes.
Anhert’s arrest comes weeks after, as Breitbart Texas reported exclusively, the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel began using land mines and improvised explosive devices along various dirt roads in northern Tamaulipas. The use of these devices comes as the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel continuesesc waging a fierce turf war with a rival faction from Reynosa called Metros.
After initially trying to deny or suppress the information about the landmines, government officials were forced to admit that organized crime members had deployed them in the northern part of the state, Breitbart Texas reported.
Despite claims by the Tamaulipas government about the state being almost free of crime, the turf war within the Gulf Cartel has led to numerous shootouts, kidnappings, and murders.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
