To show how deeply they regret what happened last Friday that ended with the kidnapping and killing of 4 US nationals in Mexico, the drug cartel blamed responsible for the crime surrendered 5 of their members “who acted on their own.”
US and Mexican authorities have been seeking four Americans who were kidnapped last Friday after crossing the border for a trip to get a medical procedure. On Tuesday, two of the Americans were discovered dead. One of the others was hurt, but the fourth is reportedly alive.
Authorities discovered a car with five males and a note seemingly serving as the cartel group’s statement.
“The Gulf Cartel Grupo Escorpiones strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3,” the statement read, translated to English. “For this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events.”
The statement also said that the people responsible “acted under their own determination and indiscipline,” which is against the rules wherein the cartel has always operated.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), unidentified assailants opened fire on the four Americans’ vehicle shortly after it crossed into Mexico. Armed men then removed them from the spot. Officials have not stated whether the four Americans were purposefully targeted.
The sender of the note also apologized to the Americans affected and their families, as well as the relatives of one Mrs. Arely, which the group said was “an innocent working mother [who] died” as part of the incident. The group also said sorry to the citizens of Mataramos where the crime happened.
“The guilty parties will pay, regardless of who they are,” the statement ended.
The kidnapping of four US nationals in Mexico last week, which resulted in the deaths of two of them, has refocused attention on the politically delicate topic of southern border security, prompting calls from certain congressmen for the Biden administration to take cartels more seriously.
Officials in the Biden administration termed the killings as “unacceptable,” potentially raising tensions around the already tense issues of border security and US-Mexico relations while police investigate the incident.
Republicans have been arguing for months that the Biden administration has not done enough to stem the flow of migrants and drugs at the southern border, implying that the president’s permissive approach to border security is resulting in violence.
“The cartels couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime than Joe Biden—his weakness allows them to operate unchecked,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said. “President Biden needs to secure the border and declare war against the cartels to protect Americans from drugs and this bold-faced violence.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters on Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI “are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks that they depend on.”
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