Military fights drug suspects in Mexico, 3 dead

March 20, 2010 08:31 am | Updated 08:33 am IST - Monterrey (Mexico)

A shootout erupted in the streets of a north-eastern Mexican city, killing two suspected drug cartel gunmen and wounding a soldier.

The gunmen opened fire on Friday on an army patrol outside the gates of a prestigious private university in Monterrey, the army said in a statement.

Soldiers seized guns, ammunition and hand grenades at the scene.

The wounded soldier is in stable condition.

The previous day, gunmen in a convoy of six vehicles opened fire on a navy helicopter conducting an anti-crime reconnaissance patrol in Fresnillo, a town outside Monterrey.

Marines aboard the chopper returned fire, killing one of the gunmen.

Separately, the navy said it captured the chief drug cartel operator linked to the Beltran Leyva gang and others in Monterrey.

The suspect is known as Alberto “Bad Boy” Mendoza.

Marines seized five rifles, ammunition and money in that raid.

And local authorities said suspected cartel gunmen stole vehicles and used them to blockade two roads leading out of Monterrey on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to impede police or military patrols.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.