02/03/11 – Nuevo Laredo’s newest police chief, retired General Manuel Farfán Carriola, was shot to death late Wednesday night by unknown aggressors. Four of his bodyguards and a private secretary were also fatally wounded as a result of the incident. Farfán Carriola and his staff had just barely left police headquarters when they suddenly came across an armed vehicle that was blocking the corner where the streets “Venezuela” and “Plutarco Elías Calles” meet. The unit, which was armed with machine guns, immediately began firing at the F-150 Ford Lobo that carried Farfán Carriola and his staff. Members of the “Agencia Federal de Investigación” (Federal Investigation Agency) were immediately notified and blocked off the scene of the crime. An emergency Nuevo Laredo City Council meeting has been called this morning.
Manuel Farfán Carriola was newly appointed to the position of police chief when Nuevo Laredo’s newest mayor, Benjamin Galvan Gomez, came into office Jan 1st of this year. Farfán Carriola served a total of 33 days in this position. He had been outspoken about fighting crime in his city, especially against drug traffickers, like the “Gulf Cartel” and “Los Zetas,” who are fighting for control over trading routes. Farfán Carriola was also formerly head of “Seguridad Pública y Tránsito” (Public Security and Transit) in the city of Cuernavaca, and former director of “Policía Estatal Preventiva” (State Preventative Police Force) in Michoacán.
Nuevo Laredo, a city located in the northern state of Tamaulipas, shares a border with the United States. This area, which suffers from some of the most extreme violence in Mexico, is known for its drug cartel operations, smuggling of immigrants, and kidnapping and extortion.
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