Slaughter: Reynosa has been caught in
the bloody vortex of a cartel war since 2010, which has cost the lives
of more than 15,000 people
Death: Bodies are left strewn in the
street in Reynosa as a warning to locals living in the city which has a
murder rate as high as warzones
Fears: McAllen resident Olissa is scared for her daughter's safety after narcos hid from border patrol agents in her back yard
The
city in the state of Tamaulipas has been caught in the bloody vortex of a
cartel war since 2010, that has cost the lives of more than 15,000
people, many of whom are innocent civilians cut down in the crossfire.
The
local police force was disbanded in 2013 because half of the police
officers were killed in the tit-for-tat slaughter. Federal Police and
the Mexican military now patrol the city with assault vehicles in
armoured trucks.
The
grip of gang violence is so bad on Reynosa, which has a population
600,000, that 950 murders were committed in 2013 - a rate of 150
killings per 100,000. In comparison, across Iraq in 2012, the homicide rate was eight per 100,000.
Less than a 10 minute drive away, there were only two murders in McAllen, Hidalgo County, in 2013.
But frequently, the Texan residents can hear gunshots at all hours of
the day and even spot heavily-armed drug smugglers in their streets
after dark.
And ruthless cartels target anyone standing in the way of their miserable business.
Less than a 10
minute drive from Reynosa in Mexico is McAllen in Texas, US, and
residents can hear gunshots at all hours of the day
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