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Details have emerged from the Mexican Navy operation to capture Gulf Cartel Matamoros commander Antonio Guillen that shows a coordinated operation using electronic means and interrogations leading to a massive seizure of men and munitions in the area.
According to "Narcoblog" posts, Guillen escaped the initial encounter at 1100 hrs last November 5th only to be located by means of electronic intercept six hours later in the same city, and ultimately killed by elements of the Mexican Army and Navy.
For more than six months, a Mexican Navy operation concentrated on capturing Guillen beginning with an initial encounter on March 31st of this year against Guillen's security team which led to capture of three armed suspects. Information obtained from the arrests was used in subsequent operations.
On April 7th, a second encounter took place in Matamoros ending with the capture of three more armed suspects, weapons, cash and cars.
From the April 7th arrest, the Mexican Secretaria de Defensa (SEMAR) found out that Guillen's security team was dubbed Los Escorpiones, Scorpions, a security/enforcer group heavily armed with armored vehicles, grenades and trained snipers.
On September 14th, a Mexican Marine operation took place when SEMAR found Guillen was at a residence on Calle Mexico in the Rios colony near the US border.
Before the cordon could take place, however, military reinforcements were attacked by presumed Gulf Cartel elements. The ensuing firefight led to a toll of one Mexican Marine dead and one Gulf Cartel member captured. Rantburg's report on the action can be read here. Other residences Guillen used as safe houses were found following the September operation.
On November 1st, SEMAR found out that Guillen was spending the night at a residence on calle Canal in the Expo Fiesta Oriente colony. But when units of the Mexican Marines arrived, Guillen slipped through the cordon to escape.
Marines found a large munitions cache including more than 69,000 rounds of ammunition and 230 40mm grenades. Rantburg's report on the November 1st action can be read here.
It was erroneously reported that Guillen died in the 1030 hours encounter. That initial encounter was apparently an intergang firefight near Plaza Fiesta, which was reported by residents in the area, but before the Navy could arrive another firefight took place at 1100 hrs between elements of the Mexican Army and armed groups on calle Valle del Inca in the Centro colony. That encounter cost the life of one Mexican soldier and Mexican photojournalist Alberto Guajardo Romero of the Expresso de Matamoros.
Commanders on the ground following that battle received reports that Guillen was on the move in Matamoros, so a request was made for communications intercepts.
Guillen was located on Calle Abasado. At 1430 huge force of 660 effectives, 17 vehicles and three helicopters was sent to the area, where they were fired on by Guillen's security detail.
A three hour firefight took place where heavy weapons such as hand grenades and RPGs were used against military forces. Guillen's security team used armored vehicles and snipers to attempt to rescue him, but ultimately failed with the death of Guillen ad four members of his security team.
In the aftermath, Mexican military forces captured 47 Gulf Cartel members, seized 92 rifles, 12 pistols, 27 hand grenades, more than 111,000 rounds of ammunition, two rocket launchers, an RPG, 518 porters, close to a million pesos in cash and 44 cars.