Mexico Navy: 12 Zetas gang members killed in Falcon Lake shootout
Officials search Falcon Lake, Texas, for the body of American David Hartley in 2010.
May 9th, 2011
03:23 PM ET

Mexico Navy: 12 Zetas gang members killed in Falcon Lake shootout

[Updated at 3:23 p.m.] Twelve suspected members of the Zetas drug gang and a member of Mexico's Navy were killed in a shootout on an island in a lake that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Monday.

The Mexican Navy said the shootout occurred Sunday on Falcon Lake, located between Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, after troops patrolling the area spotted a camping area on an island.

The suspected drug traffickers used the island for storing marijuana to be transported by boat to the United States, the Navy said in a statement.

After the shootout, the Navy said it seized guns, ammunition and bullet-proof vests from the island.

Falcon Lake drew the attention of law enforcement authorities on both side of the border last September after an American man on a personal watercraft was reportedly ambushed by attackers and shot in the head.

Tiffany Hartley told police that she and her husband were riding water scooters on the lake on September 30 when they were attacked.

Her husband's body has not been found, and the case has remained unsolved.

"It didn't happen in the United States," said Zapata County, Texas, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez.

And Mexican authorities, he told CNN last month, have "somewhat of a zero solvency rate, and a zero conviction rate."

"So unfortunately, this case may remain open forever, even though the information and the evidence may be there," according to Gonzalez.
Filed under: Crime • Drug violence • Mexico
soundoff (156 Responses)
  1. Zim

    Mexico has a navy? Why?

    May 9, 2011 at 9:34 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rick

      Of course Mexico has a Navy, and they use American weapons.

      May 10, 2011 at 10:47 am | Report abuse |
  2. HelenHull102951

    Ask the citizens of the US for willing vollenters to gaurd our borders, I'll bet ya a paycheck you'll have more than a few million people show up loaded for bear and with weapons comparable to our military. Then watch the Mexican body count go thru the roof!! Any takers?

    May 10, 2011 at 6:32 am | Report abuse |
    • Rick

      Wow, aren't you macho?

      May 10, 2011 at 7:34 am | Report abuse |
  3. HelenHull102951

    President Obama going to Texas today the (10th) to speak about tougher immigration reform.. "IT'S ABOUT TIME" I did'nt have good thoughts about the Prez until he gave the KILL ORDER on Osama, now if he will do what the past 3 Administrtions promised and did'nt carry thru I just might think alot more of him than I used to... And that's to do something about the flow of Mexicans coming into our country and draining every social service and the benefits the American people worked for.. These creatures or pests are ruining our country the same way they did their own on top of poisoning our children and country with their drugs. Let alone tagging evey wall,sign,billboard and building they can find, I mean look at their country and how they destroyed... "GET THESE VERMITS" out of our country one way or another!!! Or allow the American people to do it the way the KKK, would by (FORCE IF NESSESSARY)

    May 10, 2011 at 8:37 am | Report abuse |
    • bk753

      Build a wall. Seriously. 12'-15' high should do. Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. No, I'm not a "hater," although I am something of an isolationist. Use some of the $4.1B we give to Pakistan, and start work tomorrow. Put unemployed people to work building it, and pull troops back from places they shouldn't be (Iraq and Afghanistan) to man it. Let's secure the border, protecting American lives and interests. Sorry if you think this is "extreme" but these are extreme times...

      May 10, 2011 at 9:26 am | Report abuse |
    • Rick

      If we would just give the Mexicans the jobs that big industry is handing out to the COMMUNIST Vietnamese and Chinese, then we would get better quality, safer goods and Mexico's economy would benefit. Capitalism in the USA is a disaster.

      May 10, 2011 at 10:52 am | Report abuse |
    • felipe

      you have no idea how ignorant you sound..its people like you that give america a bad name..guess what buddy, im mexican-american, and i aint goingg no where and neither are my people, so get used to it

      May 27, 2011 at 3:36 pm | Report abuse |
  4. HelenHull102951

    And Johnny go suck a big nasty wetback d-ck.

    May 10, 2011 at 8:48 am | Report abuse |
  5. HelenHull102951

    Just another bunch of BULL-SH-T they are saying to keep the aid and trade coming in from the U.S. Gov. I say cut all aid and trade with this country and send in our Speical Forces to collect the heads of the drug cartels and their sponsors. What can they do, their military and police are a bunch of corrupt idiots that could'nt find their butts with (25) hands.

    May 10, 2011 at 10:22 am | Report abuse |
    • Alejandro

      @HelenHull your kid/niece/nephew/cousin is making the demand. What are all these prom kids looking forward to doing,..it's not drinking,...they want drugs 'cause the movice you make them watch & lifestyles you set them up for failure for. this is how they cope

      May 11, 2011 at 3:23 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Rick

    What can you say....AMERICANS LOVE THEIR DRUGS.

    May 10, 2011 at 10:47 am | Report abuse |
  7. jack slater

    build a wall...show me the $$. $4.1b to build that border is a drop in the bucket. SHould have been done 40 yrs ago. The cost to build that wall would be astronomical and no one has the money to do it. Walls to cover that disatnce just isnt going to work. Let alone a huge part of the border is a river. Regardless, you've seen the tunnels they have built. The best way is to use predator drones for surveilance and add more border patrol. A few billion would add hundreds of new border patrol and about 50 drones flying 24/7. Not perfect by any means but if drones can be used to patrol pakistan borders there shure as heck should be partolling our borders. btw the way, i am a republican, I live in Tyler, but most imigrants are not vermin. You are blessed to be born here. If your family was starving and you needed work you would risk it to. The cartels exploit everyone on both sides. the answer to this is with strong policy and that is as easy to solve as fusion. It's not so black and white as so many people want it to be. Remember if companies didn't hire illegals they would be coming here to work, but if there were no illegals your products and produce wouldnt be so cheap. They pay them next to nothing and offer no benefits, yet everyone compains when they pay too much. So which is it...

    May 10, 2011 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
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