Reports have been circulating south of the border concerning the saga of 77 year old businessman Don Alejo Garza Tamez but outside of the internet, this story doesn't seem to be getting much play on the American side.
According to multiple reports, on November 13 a group of cartel gunmen accosted Don Alejo on his ranch 15km north of Ciudad Victoria (the capital of Tamaulipas). They told the avid hunter and co-founder of the regional lumber store El Salto that he had 24 hours to vacate his ranch or suffer the consequences.
As the sicarios departed, Alejo flatly told them that he had no intention of leaving and that if they returned, he would be waiting for them. He then sent his ranch hands home for the day and gathered up his hunting rifles and ammunition, placing them by each front window in the ranch's main home- working on barricading it before he began his long wait.
In the early morning hours, he undoubtedly heard the motors of the approaching trucks as the sicarios had returned, true to their word. Likely emboldened by previous encounters where the narco traffickers would seize property with impunity, they made no attempt to conceal their approach. True to his word, Don Alejo was waiting for them.
The exact timeline of what followed is unclear but when the smoke cleared, Don Alejo had managed to cut down four of the cartel gunmen and wound at least two more. Likely infuriated by being held at bay by a tenacious 77 year old rifleman, some of the intruders swapped out their guns for grenades and raked Alejo's house with automatic weapons and grenade fire.
Fearing the commotion had attracted the attention of the Mexican military garrisoned in nearby Ciudad Victoria, the remaining attackers fled- leaving behind two more of their cohorts for dead.
In fact, the Mexican Marines arrived a few hours later. Don Alejo's house was practically destroyed from the attack and after the search the marines found the bullet-riddled body of Don Alejo slumped over inside by two rifles. From there, the military began to reconstruct what had taken place.
According to multiple reports, on November 13 a group of cartel gunmen accosted Don Alejo on his ranch 15km north of Ciudad Victoria (the capital of Tamaulipas). They told the avid hunter and co-founder of the regional lumber store El Salto that he had 24 hours to vacate his ranch or suffer the consequences.
As the sicarios departed, Alejo flatly told them that he had no intention of leaving and that if they returned, he would be waiting for them. He then sent his ranch hands home for the day and gathered up his hunting rifles and ammunition, placing them by each front window in the ranch's main home- working on barricading it before he began his long wait.
In the early morning hours, he undoubtedly heard the motors of the approaching trucks as the sicarios had returned, true to their word. Likely emboldened by previous encounters where the narco traffickers would seize property with impunity, they made no attempt to conceal their approach. True to his word, Don Alejo was waiting for them.
The exact timeline of what followed is unclear but when the smoke cleared, Don Alejo had managed to cut down four of the cartel gunmen and wound at least two more. Likely infuriated by being held at bay by a tenacious 77 year old rifleman, some of the intruders swapped out their guns for grenades and raked Alejo's house with automatic weapons and grenade fire.
Fearing the commotion had attracted the attention of the Mexican military garrisoned in nearby Ciudad Victoria, the remaining attackers fled- leaving behind two more of their cohorts for dead.
In fact, the Mexican Marines arrived a few hours later. Don Alejo's house was practically destroyed from the attack and after the search the marines found the bullet-riddled body of Don Alejo slumped over inside by two rifles. From there, the military began to reconstruct what had taken place.
The lack of other bodies inside the house and strategically placed weapons by doors and windows led them to conclude that Don Alejo had fought alone.
One man who stood up to the criminals who wanted to take away the fruit of his life's work and defended it until the very end.
And perhaps, just perhaps, in Alejo's last stand the seeds of future resistance against the murderers and criminals fighting for control of Mexico have been planted.
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