Families fled from Mexico border city due to drug trafficking violence

Families fled from Mexico border city due to drug trafficking violence

2010-11-12 00:29:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- Over a hundred families have fled from the city of Ciudad Mier in northern Mexico due to the increased drug trafficking violence after the death of Gulf Cartel leader Antonio Ezequiel "Tony Tormenta" Cardenas Guillen.

The families, at least 300 people, decided to leave the northern city in Tamaulipas state and took refuge at a shelter in the nearby city of Miguel Aleman.

Last Friday, a long, deadly fight between Gulf Cartel gunmen and the Mexican Navy left many dead including drug lord Antonio Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillen in Matamoros.

"We are here at the Club de los Leones shelter to support in every way we can our families that fled their homes," Ciudad Mier mayor Jose Ivan Mancias Hinojosa said.

Residents of neighboring municipalities arrived to Miguel Alemán with all kinds of help for the displaced families that were forced to abandon their homes due to the violent acts and the increased violence in the area stemming from the presence of drug cartels.

Ciudad Mier has suffered non-stop gun battles between the Gulf Cartel and its former allies Los Zetas. Some residents of the city decided to fled to the United States.

Ciudad Mier is located on the Mexican side of the border southeast of Falcon Dam and northwest of Roma. The Tamaulipas border city is considered a strategic point to drug traffickers due to the highway that connects the city with Monterrey.

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