Two individuals were killed and another individual was injured last week after a truck drove over an improvised explosive device in near the U.S. southern border in Mexico. Texas officials have indicated that the improvised explosive device is likely linked to the Mexican cartels.
In a Tuesday press release, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced, “A tragic and alarming incident occurred near Brownsville, Texas, where a U.S. citizen and Texas rancher was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED). This shocking act of violence highlights the growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border.”
According to KRGV, 74-year-old Antonio Céspedes Saldierna was killed alongside Horacio Lopez Peña while driving on a ranch in the Santa Rita region of San Fernando, Mexico, on Friday. The outlet reported that Peña’s wife, Ninfa Griselda Ortega, was also injured in the explosion.
Antonio Céspedes Saldierna’s son, Ramiro Céspedes, a U.S. Army veteran who served in multiple missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, told KRGV that the death of his father that was caused by an improvised explosive device was a “terrorist attack.”
“I consider this a terrorist attack because if I went to war to fight terrorists, and I’m seeing the same thing here to me – my personal opinion – it is a terrorist attack,” Ramiro Céspedes said.
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In Tuesday’s statement, Miller warned any ranchers, farmers, and agricultural workers who travel from Texas to Mexico or who operate near the southern border to “exercise extreme caution.”
According to KRGV, the Tamaulipas government has issued warnings regarding improvised explosive devices that could be on rural roads in the region. A Tamaulipas state police spokesperson told the outlet that improvised explosive devices are often placed by cartels to keep rival cartels from entering their territory.
In light of the threats posed by Mexican cartels along the southern border, Miller warned Texas agricultural workers near the border to “stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.” The Texas agricultural commissioner also encouraged people to “avoid dirt roads and remote areas, refrain from touching unfamiliar objects that could be explosive devices, limit travel to daylight hours, stay on main roads, and avoid cartel-controlled regions.”
“Our agriculture family is the backbone of Texas, and we must do everything we can to protect it,” Miller concluded.
