Mexican Cartel Issues Apology, Hands Over Members to Law Enforcement

On March 3, four Americans from South Carolina traveled into Matamoros, Mexico, across the southern border. A car drew up next to their van, opened fire, kidnapped the US citizens, and then left the area. A source claims that the criminals thought the people of SC belonged to a rival cartel. Four days later, the people were discovered by the authorities in a hut, but two of them had already passed away.

Cartel members apologized for the incident in a message they left for Mexican law police on March 10. The Scorpions, a subset of the Gulf cartel, one of the nation’s most potent criminal organizations, are said to have penned the letter. The cartel decided to “turn over” the criminals and claimed the five members moved of their own volition.

The note was also supported by a photo. It shows a few shackled males lying face down on the ground. The men were discovered tied up inside a car with the note, according to the authorities. The cartel frequently accuses a select few of the crime. The strategy might allow the criminal group to put the incident behind them so that its members can carry on as usual.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina (R) responded angrily to the news of the abduction and murder of his constituents. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized Graham for even raising the possibility of sending US troops into his “free, independent, and sovereign” country to “destroy drug labs” and said the lawmaker was ready to introduce legislation that would classify Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

The Tamaulipas state, which contains Matamoros, has been on the United State Department’s do not travel advisory list since at least October 2022 because of the potential for violence and kidnapping.