Zetas part of Rio Bravo gunfight

San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle:

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The latest gunplay to rattle the Texas border with Mexico began with what appeared to be an army-led pursuit of alleged members of the Gulf Cartel, which operates out of Tamaulipas state.

The shootout ended with the killing of three suspects at the entrance to a residence allegedly used by the Zetas, the heavily armed enforcers of the cartel who trace their origins to a group of deserters from an elite Mexican army unit.

Five soldiers and five federal police officers were wounded.

In raids after the firefight, police seized more than a dozen weapons, including AR-15 assault rifles and a grenade launcher.

The detainees were paraded before news media in a police hangar Tuesday in Mexico City.

Patricio Patiño, a top official at the Public Security Ministry, said the three killed were hit men for Heriberto Lazacano, a reputed Zeta leader, and that all worked for the Gulf Cartel.

The altercation with police started when the three opened fire on police at a roadblock, which led to exchanges of gunfire during a chase that culminated at a cartel safe house at the edge of town, authorities said.

Federal authorities said the detainees were being investigated for homicide but didn't mention specific killings.

Río Bravo is the latest borderland hot spot in a nationwide war that has pitted drug gangs against rival traffickers and Mexican authorities, claiming more than 4,000 lives the past two years.

In late November, former Río Bravo Mayor Juan Antonio Guajardo and five men, including his federal police bodyguards, were shot dead in the border city. Guajardo, who had just lost a bid to reclaim the job, was an outspoken critic of narco meddling in state politics.

The Gulf Cartel's alleged leader, Osiel Cárdenas, is awaiting trial in Houston. The cartel is believed to control the narcotics trade in Tamaulipas, a strategic state that includes the major Gulf of Mexico port of Tampico and Nuevo Laredo, the Mexican gateway to the Interstate 35 corridor.

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This is probably a blow to the cartel. The loss of its muscle to go along with the loss of its brains will eventually take it toll. It is clear that this muscle was not too smart when it opened fire on police at a road block. That is a good way to call attention to oneself. I assume that Heriberto Lazacano is still at large, for the time being.