Mexican cartel issues apology

(CMR) The Gulf Cartel has issued a handwritten apology letter after two American tourists, and a Mexican woman was killed in the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, last Friday. The letter comes one week after the kidnapping of four Americans, who investigators believe was targetted because the cartel mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers.

Along with the apology letter, they are said to have handed over five of their members to local authorities claiming they are rogue members. a local leader of the cartel was also arrested by Mexican authorities in a neighboring city. Cartel leaders, in a letter made public by The Associated Press on Thursday, said the hit went against the cartel’s rules, which call for “respecting the life and well-being of the innocent.”

The letter was coupled with a photo of five men tied up and face down on the pavement — members that the gang says are responsible for the ambush and kidnapping.

The letter read in part:

“The [Gulf Cartel] apologizes to the society of Matamoros, the relatives of Ms. Areli, and the affected American people and families,” 

The bodies of the two Americans killed in the kidnapping were delivered Thursday to US diplomatic authorities, according to a Mexican official.

The FBI became involved in the kidnapping and are working along Mexican officials who deployed about 300 soldiers to Matamoros to “strenghten seucirty in the border strip of the state of Tamaulipas”. The Gulf cartel has controlled the Matamoros area since the 1930s, according to the New York Post. The gang learned its violent techniques from ex-members of the Mexican military.

During a press conference on Tuesday night, Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal revealed that two of the victims, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, had been discovered dead. LaTavia “Tay” McGee was unhurt, while Eric James Williams sustained a leg injury. According to the Tamaulipas Attorney General, they have returned to the US.

The group had entered the cartel-dominated state of Tamaulipas in Matamoros on Friday when they were abducted by unidentified gunmen. The Americans were forced into the back of a pickup vehicle after coming under fire from a group of armed men while driving from South Carolina.

According to Ms. McGee's mother, Barbara Burgess, her daughter had traveled to Mexico with the help of her cousin, Mr. Woodard, and two friends to undergo a tummy tuck. At around 9:18 a.m., the group arrived in Matamoros, but a close friend of Washington McGee, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that they were unsuccessful in finding the medical clinic. They contacted the doctor's office for directions but had trouble connecting with the office due to a weak cellular signal.

They were approached by unidentified gunmen after crossing the border, who then “put them in a vehicle and took them from the site,” according to the FBI. The US officials believe that the Mexican cartel attacked the Americans because they were mistaken for drug smugglers from Haiti. However, investigators have not found any troubling criminal histories regarding US citizens.

José “N,” a 24-year-old suspect who was in charge of ensuring that the victims did not escape throughout the three-day captivity, has been taken into custody. According to an unnamed state official who spoke to the Associated Press, the missing Americans were discovered on their way to Playa Baghdad, a small beach in the rural Ejido Longoreo neighborhood east of Matamoros.

The incident resulted in the death of an innocent bystander, according to US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. According to Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal, the woman was shot by a stray bullet about a block and a half from where the Americans were taken.

The US State Department spokesman, Ned Price, commended Mexico's allies for helping the Americans get back home. In the end, he said, “we want to see accountability for the aggression that has been inflicted on these Americans that regrettably resulted in the death of two of them.”

The victim's loved ones, such as McGee's mother, expressed concern about their safety before the trip. Burgess claimed that she warned her daughter that the trip might not be safe, to which her daughter replied, “Ma, I'll be okay,” dismissing her worries.

The group of missing Americans was bound “like glue” since they grew up together in South Carolina, according to Zalandria Brown, Zindell Brown's sister. She added that her younger brother had expressed reservations about going to such a risky location, calling the experience a “terrible dream.”

Burgess last heard from her daughter on Friday, when she was only 15 minutes away from the cosmetic surgery office where she was scheduled to have her treatment. She never heard from her daughter again. Later that day, Burgess received the news that her daughter had been abducted and was in danger.

Mexico has emerged as a popular “medical tourism” destination, drawing tourists who may be looking for less expensive options or medical treatments that are either not available or not approved in the US. However, the CDC cautions that the expanding trend may bring severe risks, including infection and other post-procedure problems, depending on the location and facility.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed his regret that this had occurred in his nation during a press conference earlier in the day on Tuesday. “We continue to work every day towards peace,” he added.

A $50,000 reward had been put forth for information that resulted in the release of the abductees and the return of the victims.