Mexican drug cartel operatives continue to engage in violent acts along the southern border of Texas near the Rio Grande, as new video shows them throwing explosives as an intimidation tactic, authorities say.
The Texas Department of Public Safety posted video to social media on Wednesday showing both thermal and non-thermal views of a group of cartel operatives, as identified by DPS, throwing the explosives.
In the thermal view, the video highlights a group of what appears to be four operatives throwing two objects which explode just seconds after.
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The non-thermal view shows a stream of sparks spirals to the left and front of the operatives before hitting the ground and exploding.
According to Texas DPS, the cartel operatives are carrying out acts of violence, while also escalating intimidation tactics across from Fronton Island, which Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham granted Texas DPS and Texas Rangers permission to patrol.
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This map shows the location of Fronton Island in the Rio Grande River. (Google Maps/Texas General Land Office)
The small island on the Rio Grande sits on the border between the U.S. and Mexico and has become a hot spot for cartels and other illegal activity.
Buckingham told Fox News Digital in September that the territory was not disputed, but her office found it necessary to declare it owned by the state to remove any ambiguity in response to a request by law enforcement.
Texas DPS said the cartels continue to engage in ongoing gun battles in Los Guerra, Mexico over “lucrative smuggling routes.”
As a result, the border operations and safety of residents is affected in Fronton.
