MEXICO CITY: The authorities in Mexico have arrested five people over the kidnapping and killing of a group of Americans, after the suspects were left in the street with their hands tied by the alleged cartel members, said the officials on Friday.
The four US citizens, two of whom died, were kidnapped at gunpoint after crossing the border into crime-ridden Tamaulipas state in a minivan almost a week back, ostensibly for cosmetic surgery. According to Tamaulipas prosecutor Irving Barrios, a warrant for five people was executed for the crimes of homicide and kidnapping.
They are the same 5 men who were discovered Thursday with their hands bound on a street in Matamoros, apparently dumped by fellow Gulf Cartel members, according to a prosecutor’s office source. The Gulf Cartel “apologizes” for the incident, according to a statement released by Mexican media. According to the report, the group decided to turn in the perpetrators over to the authorities because they acted without the permission of their superiors.
Mexico’s Gulf Cartel
The Gulf Cartel – perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico – is a criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization in the country. It is presently based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, directly across the United States border from Brownsville, Texas.
