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sj1039
Jun 4, 2010, 3:45 AM
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I have travelled to Potrero a few times 4-5 years ago but am concerned about the current situation along the border. Are the toll roads safe to travel by car? Would it be safer to travel by bus from San Antonio?
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potreroed
Jun 30, 2010, 3:22 PM
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Your concern is warranted but you should be OK if you travel during day time. I would definitely avoid being on any of those roads at night.
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lstollin
Jun 30, 2010, 8:44 PM
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Registered: Jun 30, 2010
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I'm wanting to head back to Potrero myself -- from here in Austin you can almost see the tops of the fins! But I looked into it in early June and here's what I found. I think I'm going to wait. However, I don't disagree with what the other poster said -- you'd PROBABLY be alright traveling during the day and taking the toll road.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/03/22/mexico.tamiulipas.violence/index.html
A message published by the U.S. consulate in Monterrey, Mexico, earlier this month shed some light on the fallout of the Zetas-Gulf cartel fight.
"There have been numerous confirmed reports of deadly gunbattles taking place in and around the cities of Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas and in small towns of Nuevo Leon that are north and east of Monterrey," the statement said.
The document also confirmed instances where the dueling cartels were setting up vehicle checkpoints on major highways that link Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo Leon, to the border.
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This next one from our U.S. state department, which generally paints foreign situations more dire than they are, at least in my experience living in Bolivia in the 80s. Still, this gives one pause:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html
May 6, 2010
Travelers on the highways between Monterrey and the United States (notably through Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros) have been targeted for robbery that has resulted in violence and have also been caught in incidents of gunfire between criminals and Mexican law enforcement. Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana. U.S. citizens traveling by road to and from the U.S. border through Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Durango, and Sinaloa should be especially vigilant. Criminals appear to especially target SUVs and full-size pick-up trucks for theft and car-jacking along these routes. DTOs have also erected unauthorized checkpoints on roads and killed motorists who have not stopped at them.
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From the US Embassy in Mexico
http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_MexicoSecurityUpdate.html
May 17-28, 2010
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
The U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey has seen a recent increase in reports of disappearances and possible abductions of American citizens, such reports are received on almost a weekly basis. On May 8, 2010, local media reported that a group of 20-50 armed men in 20 pickup trucks attacked a police station in Jimenez del Teul, Zacatecas.
2010 - May
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
Two families returning in separate vehicles from South Padre Island, Texas were ambushed by gunmen who ordered their cars to stop on highway 54 just outside General Treviņo, Nuevo Leon. Several shots were fired when the vehicles did not stop. A Mexican citizen was killed in the incident and an eight-year old American citizen boy was shot. The bodies of the victims were later taken by the assailants.
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Sorry for the bad news.
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potreroed
Oct 13, 2010, 1:03 AM
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Registered: Sep 30, 2001
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I'm bumping this to report that I just drove down from Laredo a couple of days ago and everything is cool, todo tranquilo.
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