Business leader shot to death after complaining about drug cartel extortion in Mexican TV interviews

The head of a Mexican business chambers' federation in Tamaulipas state, across the border from Texas, was killed Tuesday, hours after giving television interviews complaining about drug cartel extortion in the state, officials said.

Julio Almanza was shot to death outside his offices in the city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

"We are hostages to extortion demands, we are hostages of criminal groups," Almanza said in one of his last interviews. "Charging extortion payments has practically become the national sport in Tamaulipas."