US LAW ENFORCEMENT MONITORING MEXICAN VIOLENCE

As drug violence continues in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Brownsville
law enforcement officials continue their work to prevent any spillover of
the violence into the U.S. and to ensure a safe Charro Days.

However, Brownsville Police Department Chief Carlos Garcia urged border
residents to exercise prudence when visiting Mexico.

"It is sad but, if you don't have any business in Mexico, it's best not to
go," Garcia said. "We continue to monitor the situation and are prepared to
act accordingly."

The police chief said his department continues to monitor violence in
Mexico and is in constant communications with other law enforcement
agencies to coordinate a response if needed.

The police department already has increased manpower on the streets, but
that is attributed to the ongoing Charro Days festivities, where officials
expect upward of 50,000 revelers to attend parades and other festivities.

The U.S. Department of State recently reissued a travel alert, warning the
public that criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in
vehicles in border areas, including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana.

"Travelers on the highways between Monterrey and other parts of Mexico to
the United States (notably through Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros) have been
targeted for robbery and violence and have also inadvertently been caught
in incidents of gunfire between criminals and Mexican law enforcement. Such
incidents are more likely to occur at night but may occur at any time," the
alert states.

The alert is dated from Feb. 22 to Aug. 20.

In the most recent confrontation between purported drug traffickers and
military forces on Thursday morning, the Mexican Army reported killing four
"attackers" while seizing weapons and vehicles, said the Mexican Defense
Secretariat (SEDENA) in a written statement.

The shootout took place at approximately 9:20 a.m. on State Highway 99 just
south of Matamoros, SEDENA said. The highway connects Matamoros and Valle
Hermoso.

As soldiers traveled along the highway, the occupants of three SUVs
attacked them, forcing them to fight back and kill the four occupants of
one vehicle, SEDENA said.

As a result of the gun battle, soldiers seized a late-model Cadillac
Escalade, four assault rifles, more than 700 rounds of ammunition, and 27
ammunition clips.

The firefight south of Matamoros is the most recent in an upsurge of
gun-battles throughout the state. Reports of violence stretch from Ciudad
Mier just across from eastern Zapata County to Matamoros, including several
days of violence in Valle Hermoso a few miles south of the free trade
bridge at Los Indios. At least eight gun battles have also been reported in
Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas.

Some unconfirmed reports state that the fighting is taking place between
members of the Gulf Cartel and rogue members of the Zetas, the former armed
guard of the cartel.

The Zetas began as rapid response military group trained to fight cartels
but defected to join the ranks of the Gulf Cartel as enforcers, primarily
focusing on the kidnapping and execution of rival drug traffickers, U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration documents show.

After the capture of famed drug lord Oziel Cardenas, the Zetas developed
into a major drug trafficking organization working loosely with the Gulf
Cartel in a partnership called "La Compania," jointly deciding the
logistical issues of the drug trade.

However, according Mexican Law enforcement officials, who asked not to be
named for safety issues, the recent gun battles are the results of an
internal struggle between the two organizations fighting for control of the
border region.

According to an education official in Ciudad Victoria, who asked his name
not be released fearing for his safety, said that in the recent gun
battles, some gunmen have barricaded themselves in schools.

"This is happening statewide. My friends told me it happened in Valle
Hermoso, Matamoros, and Reynosa," he said. "They say that if they are
overwhelmed, the narcos take over a school until they can get backup or
find a way to leave."