Life is fun in Mexico, unless you are not part of a drug cartel. Then it can be quite terrifying. The cartels rule the land with organised crime, extortion, kidnappings and shootouts. They even have final say of what gets said by the media.

In the state of Tamaulipas, the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas have final say. Because of this, locals have turned to social media “to share information about organized crime and its infiltration of the government”.

One woman, who goes by the online alias of ‘Felina’, ran the Valor por Tamaulipas news hub via Twitter and Facebook. The sight reported on current news and happenings with regards to the cartels in the region.

Her activity as a citizen journalist had fed into a larger vision of building a supportive community in Tamaulipas. She raised money; she organized blood donations, and helped people find affordable housing and free medical care. She listened but did not heed warnings from her peers that by raising her public profile in the community she risked being discovered.

But of course, the cartels do not like this.

18 months ago, one of the cartels offered 600 000 pesos to anyone who could give the identity of Felina. Someone clearly gave in to the money/organised a kidnapping, and on October 16 “Felina” posted on Twitter:

# reynosafollow FRIENDS AND FAMILY, MY REAL NAME IS MARÍA DEL ROSARIO FUENTES RUBIO. I AM A PHYSICIAN. TODAY MY LIFE HAS COME TO AN END.

This post was then followed by a few more, ending with an image of her laying on the ground with a bullet wound to her head.

Nice.

I’m taking Tijuana off the travel list…

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