Tied up and with a letter of apology: the Mexican Cartel accused of kidnapping Americans hands over the murderers

Five handcuffed people have appeared in the middle of a central street in the town of Matamoros (Tamaulipas, Mexico). Along with them, there was a handwritten note in which the Escorpiones Group of the Gulf Cartel apologized and held them responsible for the kidnapping of four Americans and the murders of two of them and a Mexican woman. According to the criminal organization, these five men belonging to the Cartel acted independently and undisciplined.

What does the note say? It has appeared on the windshield of a car along with the five handcuffed men. As indicated at the beginning of the manuscript, the Gulf Cartel (CDG) explains who the men he has handed over are and holds them directly responsible, leaving the criminal organization on the sidelines. He disapproves of what happened and details why he decides to hand over his men.

“The Gulf Cartel, Grupo Escorpiones, ‘strongly’ condemns the events of Friday, March 3, where, unfortunately, an innocent person, a working mother, died and 4 American citizens were kidnapped, 2 of whom died. For this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved, who, at all times, acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules in which the ‘CDG’ has always operated: respecting the lives and integrity of the innocent”.

Apologies. The Cartel itself apologizes to the Matamoros society for what happened, since among the victims there is a Mexican woman. He expresses his condolences to the families of the three deceased and promises not to allow this type of “mistakes” to be repeated.

“The ‘CDG’ apologizes to Matamorense society. The debts of Mrs. Arely, the American individuals and families affected. The ‘CDG’ asks society to be calm because we are committed to not repeating those errors caused by indiscipline and paying those responsible, whoever they are!!! Sincerely: ‘CDG’, Grupo Escorpiones”.

Kidnapping. It happened on Friday, March 3. Four Americans had just crossed the border into Mexico when they are suddenly assaulted and struggled with. The attackers start shooting and manage to take the four individuals, apparently three of them were unconscious when they got into a white van.

Who are the kidnapped? They were four African Americans. Latavia McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard, and Zindell Brown. They embarked on a journey from Lake City, South Carolina, to Matamoros, Mexico. The journey, in which they traveled more than 2,300 kilometers across the United States, lasted 22 hours. The goal was for Latavia McGee to go to an appointment at a cosmetic clinic to undergo a tummy tuck surgery.

The wooden cabin. Five days after their kidnapping and thanks to a joint operation between the Mexican and United States authorities, on March 7, the four Americans appeared in a wooden cabin south of Matamoros. Two of them were dead, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, the other two were alive. Latavia McGee was uninjured, while Eric James Williams was shot in the leg.

Transfer. At the moment both McGee and Williams were found alive, they were transferred to the United States, specifically to Brownsville, Texas, the closest city on the other side of the Mexican border.

The bodies of the deceased have been moved today. Until then, they have remained in a Matamoros funeral home while a team of Biden Government Officials took care of the procedures to repatriate the corpses.

Why were they kidnapped? One of the hypotheses that the authorities are considering is that being African-American, they could have been confused with Haitian drug traffickers. They had gotten lost, their GPS signal was not working properly and the kidnappers took advantage of their confusion to take them by force.

A lost bullet. At the time of the kidnapping there was a shooting. As it was in broad daylight, there were people walking down the street, including Arely, a 33-year-old Mexican woman, who died at the moment due to a stray bullet. The Gulf Cartel has agreed to pay all her debts to compensate her family for what happened.

Why was it operated in Mexico? Hundreds of thousands of Americans cross the border into Mexico each year for cosmetic surgery because it is cheaper there. Latavia, mother of six children between the ages of five and eighteen, is one of them.

A dangerous fate. According to the US State Department, Tamaulipas is one of six Mexican states that it advises against visiting due to the high risk of crime and kidnapping that occur there each year. In fact, McGee’s mother advised him not to travel to the border city because she considered it too dangerous.

What could this ‘confusion’ mean? The Gulf Cartel has described what happened as a confusion. Several Republican congressmen have introduced a bill to designate the cartels as “terrorist groups.” If such a law were approved, it could harden the relationship between Mexico and the United States. The White House has already ruled out declaring the Mexican cartels terrorists.

Leaving a note is very common. This practice is more common than it seems for cartels. When a case related to them or in which they may be involved has a very notorious media impact, it is common for them to contact the authorities by leaving a note on paper. The specific reason why they carry out this practice is unknown. It sounds like an outdated method, but it’s harder to trace than a message over the Internet.