Mexico

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by poznan

scary stuff

More so than Peru, which is experiencing political instability, Canadians stranded there as well. Travel is a real casino game these days.

Grizz

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

So when was the last time the RCMP, CPS or Canadian forces kidnapped people for ransom, blackmailed them into turning over their cash or jewelry or cut someone’s head off and tossed it down the trans Canada after attacking a hotel filled with vacationers??

Short of the beheading; trucker protests. 😂😂😂

[st99]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

Short of the beheading; trucker protests. 😂😂😂

bingo !!!

amazing how people have short memory

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by st99

bingo !!!

amazing how people have short memory

X2. the trucker protest was hardly a burb in comparison.

Grizz

[EZM]

I was shocked when I went into the interior of Mexico (Durango province). It is NOTHING like the resort towns. All side streets are dirt, full of potholes, garbage, burned piles of trash all over the place, people crapping in the streets, walled off compounds with razor wire or crushed glass imbedded into the concrete, stray dogs all over the place and people that would be watching you. I never expected this. If you filmed this, people would literally say it was fake. It was that bad.

We had armed escort provided by the economic development board who were DESPERATE to have investment into the region as major automotive and consumer goods company's had long since moved away as it was not worth the security risk for them.

When we got to the airport, cleared customs and "paid our bribes" (yeah they shake you down for cash if you are bringing in money into the country and you "negotiate" your tarrif) .... what a total joke.

Our "personal escort" (who was armed) put us into a van with blacked out windows with glass 2" thick and took us to the hotel as he briefed us on the rules.

At that moment I was like .............. WTF????

They told us to stay in hotel until we come get you and not to go anywhere. If we needed anything give them a call and they will bring it to us. They made an attempt to make it seem like it was a "VIP gratuity" but in fact, it was all about security.

On our way to hotel from airport a couple motor bikes came up, one cut in front of van, one pulled right up beside us between lanes and the guy put his hands on the window to peer in and see who we were????? the driver and the guy said a couple things to each other, and they luckily, left us alone and took off.

Driver told us it was the "ZETAS" (a cartel) who likes to be "in the know" of who's coming and who's going. He tried reassuring us :most of the time" they will leave businessmen alone ...... yeah ..... "most of the time".

The cartel ran the city, until the federalis came in a day or two at a time, other than that, all the regular cops just minded their own business and let the cartels run the show. Cops cars had their lights on 24/7 so they could give criminals fair warning so they could see them coming ..... lol.

Total eye opener. A side of Mexico that is unimaginable.

Needless to say - we went elsewhere to build our new facility. There was no question in my mind whatsoever why big companies couldn't get people to stay and manage in these areas - it was pretty depressing, sad and scary.

But yeah, in resort towns, it's like Disneyland compared to some of these places.

[glen moa]

Wow. Thanks for the look inside the barb wire. Sad.

[urban rednek]

Good news for anyone travelling to Mexico for medical procedures, apparently one northern cartel is concerned about the well-being of tourists bringing medical dollars into the local communities.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...xico-rcna74242

Excerpt

The cartel condemned the violence in a letter obtained by The Associated Press and said they had turned over members who were involved. A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that U.S. authorities believe the letter is legitimate.

"The Gulf Cartel Grupo Escorpiones strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3 in which unfortunately an innocent working mother died and four American citizens were kidnapped, of which 2 died." a translation of the letter says. "For this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events who at all times acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules in which the CDG has always operated."

https://globalnews.ca/news/9539899/m...g-2-americans/

Mexican cartel purportedly apologizes for killing 2 U.S. citizens, kidnapping others

By Alfredo Peña The Associated Press
Posted March 9, 2023 1:18 pm

A letter claiming to be from the Mexican drug cartel blamed for abducting four Americans and killing two of them condemned the violence and said the gang turned over to authorities its own members who were responsible.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press through a Tamaulipas state law enforcement source, the Scorpions faction of the Gulf cartel apologized to the residents of Matamoros where the Americans were kidnapped, the Mexican woman who died in the cartel shootout, and the four Americans and their families.

Drug cartels have been known to issue communiques to intimidate rivals and authorities, but also at times like these to do some public relations work to try to smooth over situations that could affect their business.

“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the letter reads, adding that those individuals had gone against the cartel’s rules, which include “respecting the life and well-being of the innocent.”

A photograph of five men face down on the pavement and bound accompanied the letter, which was shared with The Associated Press by the source on condition that they remain anonymous because they were not authorized to share the document.

State officials did not immediately publicly confirm having new suspects in custody.

A separate state security official said that five men had been found tied up inside one of the vehicles that authorities had been searching for, along with the letter. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case.

Last Friday, four Americans crossed into Matamoros from Texas so that one of them could have cosmetic surgery. Around midday they were fired on in downtown Matamoros and then loaded into a pickup truck.

Another friend, who remained in Brownsville, had called police after being unable to reach the group that crossed the border Friday morning.

Brownsville Police Department spokesman Martin Sandoval said Thursday that officers followed protocol by checking local hospitals and jails after receiving the report of the missing people. A detective was assigned to the case within the hour and then alerted the FBI after realizing the people had crossed into Mexico. Shortly after, the FBI took over the case as social media videos began to show a shootout with the victims matching the description of the missing people.

Authorities located them Tuesday morning on the outskirts of the city, guarded by a man who was arrested. Two of the Americans were dead, one was wounded and the other was unharmed.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland blamed the drug cartels for the Americans’ deaths.

“The 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,” Garland said.

Also Thursday, the Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said it had seized an ambulance and a medical clinic in Matamoros that were allegedly used to provide treatment to the Americans after the shooting.

The Americans told investigators they were taken to the clinic in an ambulance to receive first aid, the statement said. By reviewing police surveillance video around the city, authorities were able to identify the ambulance and find the clinic. No arrests were made at the clinic, according to the statement.