“Mom, I love you very much, I am doing well, pray a lot for me and for those girls, there are several of us. I barely have my cell phone and that’s how I communicate with you. Forgive me, Mom, for everything, for everything, for everything.”

That recorded message alerted mothers in Colombia from Mexico and reported the disappearance of eight women. In that case, hours later the name of a criminal nicknamed ‘The Jaguar’ appeared in the media.

The impact of the news mobilized Colombian and Mexican authorities on Saturday, January 13, 2024.

These women, according to EFE, “were taken by a human trafficking network allegedly linked to a drug gang to Villahermosa, Tabasco, in southeastern Mexico.

The party aka “The Jaguar”

The Colombian women – at first they said there were nine – are believed to have disappeared after attending a party, Mexican journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva reported on Saturday afternoon.

EFE quoted Gómez Leyva to indicate that “the women have been missing since January 5 last year, when they were taken to a private party and sexually exploited as ‘escorts’ by a man identified as Saulo David Sánchez Zetina, ‘El Jaguar’. ‘.

According to the journalist, the complaint was “made by another group of colleagues who assured that the missing women belonged to a group of between 50 and 70 women brought from Colombia to Mexico by this human trafficking network.”

This person is said to be “heading a sex trafficking network linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).”

What is CJNG? On Radio Formula they explained that this cartel is “one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico.”

They say that “the group is present in Tabasco, even if it is not the dominant group, according to information from the US Congress.

This is the four-letter cartel that threatens to dethrone Los Chapitos from the top spot in fentanyl trafficking to the United States

And as for Sánchez Zetina, “El Jaguar”, they emphasize that “he is one of the allies of Nemesio Oseguera, alias ‘El Mencho’.

‘El Jaguar’ is 34 years old and – as they report in the Mexican media – “he is a member of the CJNG in Tabasco, in addition to being accused of leading an alleged human trafficking network.”

As for what the “alleged modus operandi” would look like, they explained: “He convinces the escorts to come to Mexico and when they arrive he tells them they have a debt of 120,000 pesos so they will have to work for the criminals . .”

Watch the video broadcast of journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva here

They found the women

The Colombian consulate in Cancun reported the disappearance of eight Colombians on Saturday, January 13. That day, Tabasco’s interim governor, Carlos Merino, reported in the evening that the women had been located.

“They are in good health and are under the protection of the Public Prosecution Service (FGE) to determine their situation.”

Carlos Merino, Governor of Tabasco

The next day, Radio Formula published that Tabasco authorities believed the alias “El Jaguar” was hiding in the Yucatán.

Likewise, they highlighted that “the Colombian women, who have already been released, have denounced Sánchez Zetina as the boss of a human trafficking network operating in Villahermosa.”

Women came in as tourists: López Obrador

The thorny issue reached the government’s “mañaneras,” morning press conferences.

On Monday, January 15, the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, indicated that they will provide more details about this case on Tuesday, January 16.

The most important thing is that they are healthy and safe, the information we have is that they came in as tourists, most of the ladies came in as tourists,” he said without elaborating. He preferred to refrain from providing “information that is inaccurate.”

He invited us to await the results of the investigation, according to EFE. But I repeat: López Obrador said: “I am happy that they are doing well.”

(JO)