Narco tank

Ford F-350"Monstruo 2010" featuring aturret,captured by Mexican authorities in Jalisco, 2011.

Anarco tank,also calledrhino trucksormonstruos(Spanishfor 'monster'), is a type ofimprovised fighting vehicleused bydrug cartels.The vehicles are primarily civiliantruckswithimprovised vehicle armour,which addsoperational mobility,tacticaloffensive,and defensive capabilities when fightinglaw enforcementor rivals duringdrug traffickingactivities.

Mexico

InMexico,narco tanks have been extensively manufactured and operated by drug cartels and other gangs involved in theMexican Drug War.They are often modifiedsemi-trucks,dump trucks,pickup trucks,or other large vehicles not intended for such a purpose, and come equipped with varying levels of protection and attack capability. Mexican authorities have seized about twenty such armored trucks in the state ofTamaulipasalone, four of which were later destroyed.Cartels also began to build narco tanks with the armor installed on the interior rather than outside the vehicle, to draw away suspicion from rival drug cartels and the Mexican government. On May 22, 2011, one such vehicle belonging to theSinaloa Cartelwas seized in the state ofJalisco.On May 25, that same year, One narco tank was destroyed in a clash between theSinaloa carteland theLos Zetasknown as theBattle of Ruíz.In 2015, Mexican authorities found a narco tank factory inNuevo Laredo,Tamaulipas that had eight vehicles in it, which were in the process of having armor plates withfiring portsadded to them.Some narco tanks are equipped with improvisedbattering ramson the front to break throughroadblocks.Narco Tanks were notably used in theBattle of Culiacán.Five narco tanks were destroyed in theBattle of Doctor Cossbetween 13 March and 14 March 2021.

See also

• Illegal drug trade
• Los Zetas,drug cartel believed to be responsible for most narco-tanks
• Mexican Drug War
• Narco sub
• Technical (vehicle)
• Killdozer (Bulldozer)
• Armored tornado research vehicle
  • SRV Dominator
  • Tornado Intercept Vehicle

Further reading

• Bunker, Robert J.;Ramirez, Byron, eds. (March 2013)."Narco Armor"[Improvised Armored Fighting Vehicles in Mexico](PDF).Foreign Military Studies Office(FMSO). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 12 August 2014.Retrieved19 October2017.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

External links

• Narco tanks found by the Mexican authorities
• Earlier version of a narco tank
• Los "monstruos" del narcoArchived2011-06-13 at theWayback Machine
• Tanks Encyclopedia provides an excellent look into Narco Tanks