The U.S. consulate in Reynosa, Mexico — a border town in Tamaulipas state — was closed Feb. 25, due to a spike in violence involving Mexican drug cartels. The closure, which will remain in effect until further notice, was announced hours after a grenade attack in Reynosa and and a firefight that left five people dead in neighboring Villa Hermoso. Firefights ranging from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, have occurred at an increasing rate in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a STRATFOR source has confirmed a report that U.S. authorities plan to embed agents with Mexican military units fighting the cartels in Ciudad Juarez — another important node in the drug supply network from Mexico into the United States.
