The militarization of Mexico's criminal cartels continues, as authorities have seized an increasing number of home-built -- and sophisticated -- armored vehicles.
From today's New York Times:
MEXICO CITY — Rhino trucks, narco tanks, Mad Mex-inismos? No one can agree on what to call the armored monster vehicles that Mexican criminal groups have been welding together in recent months, but this much is clear — they are building more of them.
Over the weekend, Mexican authorities found two more of these makeshift road warriors in Tamaulipas, the same northern border state where the first armored vehicle appeared in April after a battle between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas gang. In the latest case, the Mexican Defense Department said, the armored trucks were found in a metalworking shop in Camargo, which also held at least two other partly modified monsters and 23 additional trucks.
The completed versions were bigger than what has been found before. Built on three-axle truck beds, they had room for 20 armed men, one official said. They were covered with inch-thick steel, which could withstand 50-caliber fire, and each had been equipped with insulation.
Here's a modified Ford F-350 that was captured in May:
And another:
Aaaaand yet another:
Pshhh, amateurs. Who puts bullet-proof glass at a perpendicular angle to the ground? It's all about *deflection* people!
Posted by: JJ San | 08 June 2011 at 10:14 PM