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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Border Patrol agents in Texas have been placed on high alert for attacks following the capture of a high-ranking Cartel del Noreste member, believed to be Carlos Munsivais Treviño, otherwise known as "El Bola."
The arrest, on Tuesday, September 3, in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, has heightened concerns that violence could spill over the town's Rio Grande border into the Texas city of Laredo and beyond.
A memo obtained by NewsNation from the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit warns that the apprehension of the cartel leader could lead to an increase in "cross-border violence in the form of retaliatory attacks."
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The memo does not name him, but the identity of the leader apprehended by Mexican authorities on Tuesday was Cartel del Noreste boss Carlos Munsivais Treviño, known as El Bola or La Bola, according to reports by the Mexican media.
Newsweek has contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.
The memo advises agents to exercise caution when dealing with "military-aged undocumented noncitizens along the border," as Cartel del Noreste combatants may attempt to flee into the U.S.
It adds that the situation is being closely monitored by U.S.-Mexico border agents, and updates would be provided when more information is available.
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Treviño is considered the second-most important man in the Cartel del Noreste.
The cartel boss was apprehended in Nuevo Laredo by members of the National Guard and the Mexican Army and transferred to Mexico City to face charges.
El Bola comes from a lineage of drug lords. Cartel del Noreste is a splinter group from the infamous Los Zetas cartel, led by his uncles Miguel Angel and Omar Treviño Morales.
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According to reports, El Bola was in charge of organizing kidnappings, extortion, and drug and migrant trafficking.
He is also accused of planning armed attacks against members of Mexico's military.
Formed in 2014, the Cartel del Noreste's main base is in Nuevo Laredo, but the organized crime group has a presence beyond Mexico and also operates in the U.S., Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia.
Nuevo Laredo is a key battleground in the ongoing turf war between drug cartels, primarily due to its strategic location as a major drug trafficking corridor into the U.S.
A large number of trucks pass through the area and there are multiple exploitable ports of entry, making it ideal for controlling the flow of drugs across the border.
This competition for dominance among cartels fuels persistent violence in the region.
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