2 Killed, 1 Injured in Suspected Improvised Explosive Device Blast Near US-Mexico Border

Last updated on February 25th, 2025 at 04:33 pm

Two ranchers were killed and a third was injured last month after coming into contact with what investigating authorities believe was an improvised explosive device (IED) along the U.S.-Mexico border.

KRGV, a local broadcaster in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, was among the first to report on the suspected IED blast that occurred on Jan. 31. The broadcaster reported Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, was killed when he drove over the explosive device in his pickup truck.

Saldierna was a rancher and worked on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, between Brownsville, Texas and San Fernando, in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. He was buried on Feb. 4.

Horacio Lopez Peña was also killed in the explosive blast on Jan. 31, while his wife Ninfa Griselda Ortega was hospitalized.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner brought renewed attention to the suspected IED incident in a Feb. 25 press statement.

“A tragic and alarming incident occurred near Brownsville, Texas, where a U.S. citizen and Texas rancher was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED). This shocking act of violence highlights the growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border,” Miller’s statement reads.

Neither local law enforcement authorities in Brownsville, nor federal law enforcement authorities immediately responded to requests for comment concerning this recent deadly cross-border incident.

Last month, the Tamaulipas government warned that explosive materials have been scattered near fields and along roadways amid recent armed confrontations with criminal organizations. The Tamaulipas government advised residents in the area to exercise caution and to avoid touching or otherwise manipulating suspicious objects they encounter.

Miller, in his Tuesday press statement, offered a similar word of caution.

“I encourage everyone in the agricultural industry to stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. Additionally, you can avoid dirt roads and remote areas, refrain from touching unfamiliar objects that could be explosive devices, limit travel to daylight hours, stay on main roads, and avoid cartel-controlled regions,” he wrote.

The deadly blast comes as President Donald Trump has taken steps to bolster U.S. border security. Last month, he authorized his cabinet to identify and begin designating cartels and other transnational criminal organizations as terrorist groups.

Last week, the U.S. State Department officially designated eight transnational criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. Those organizations are the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Northeast Cartel (formerly Los Zetas), Gulf Cartel, and United Cartels in Mexico, along with the New Michoacan Family, Tren de Aragua, and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).