MexicoMexican drug cartels build "narco tanks"
In the latest development in Mexico’s bloody drug trade, it seems that rival cartels are building large armored vehicles in their fight against one another; over the weekend, the Mexican Army found two “Mad Max” style “narco tanks” in Ciudad Camargo in the state of Tamaulipas near the Texas border; the two vehicles had inch-thick steel armor and were built on a three-axle truck bed with a heavily armored cabin; the vehicles were capable of withstanding fire from 50 caliber mounted weapons and grenade blasts; so far none of the tanks have been used to confront the Mexican Army and officials believe that they are primarily used in inter-gang warfare
Mexican military personnel with captured "narco tank" // Source: militaryphotos.net
In the latest development in Mexico’s bloody drug trade, it seems that rival cartels are building large armored vehicles in their fight against one another.
Over the weekend, the Mexican Army found two “Mad Max” style “narco tanks” in Ciudad Camargo in the state of Tamaulipas near the Texas border.
The two vehicles had inch-thick steel armor and were built on a three-axle truck bed with a heavily armored cabin. According to an unidentified army officer, the vehicles were capable of withstanding fire from 50 caliber mounted weapons and grenade blasts. In addition the tanks were equipped with a pointed steel battering ram.
The two tanks were far larger than what authorities had previously found.
“You can easily fit 20 armed people in here,” the unidentified army officer said.
In April and May, authorities discovered several other armored vehicles that had swiveling turrets, peepholes for snipers, and mechanisms to dump oil or scatter tire-puncturing nails on roads.
The latest tanks were discovered after soldiers spotted two men on a highway just outside of Camargo. The men darted into a warehouse which was being used to build more armored vehicles. Officials found two completed tanks as well as two others in the process of being outfitted with steel armor.
Each of the trucks found had special synthetic insulation to help dampen the sound of incoming rounds as well as air conditioning for the compartment.
So far none of the tanks have been used to confront the Mexican Army and officials believe that they are primarily used in inter-gang warfare.
An Army PowerPoint presentation sent to McClatchy in May stated, “It is believed that they are manufactured to try to intimidate rival groups.”
On 16 April, an Army patrol near Ciudad Mier, in the state of Tamaulipas, heard explosions and eventually found a charred remains of a narco tank. While in mid-May, police found an abandoned narco tank on a highway in Jalisco with five dead bodies inside.
The Gulf Cartel is currently locked in a deadly war with their rivals Los Zetas for control of a key drug smuggling route through Texas.
