Link

US hunts missing Americans after Mexico kidnapping

The US and Mexico are searching for four Americans who were kidnapped in north-eastern Mexico last week.

The US citizens were driving through Matamoros in Tamaulipas state in a white minivan when a group of unidentified gunmen shot at them. They were then placed in a vehicle and taken away, the US government said.

The US has not confirmed Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's statement saying that the Americans had crossed the border to buy medication. The missing Americans, who were kidnapped on 3 March, have not been identified.

"There was a confrontation between groups and they were kidnapped," Mr López Obrador said Monday. The incident also resulted in the death of an innocent Mexican citizen, US ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement.

"We have no higher priority than the safety of our citizens," the ambassador said. "Officials from various US law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to achieve the safe return of our compatriots", he continued.

"The FBI, federal partners, and Mexican law enforcement agencies are investigating," the FBI said. On Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House was closely following the "unacceptable" assault and kidnapping.

"Our thoughts are with the families of these individuals," she said.

The Mexican government is likely to prioritise finding the US citizens to avoid a major cross-border issue between the two countries. Mr López Obrador said during a news conference on Monday that he had been in contact with the governor of Tamaulipas over the weekend about the kidnappings.

"I think it will get resolved," Mr López Obrador said. "That's what I hope." A Mexican official told Reuters three men and one woman were kidnapped.

Tamaulipas is one of six states in Mexico that the US State Department advises travellers not to visit due to "crime and kidnapping".

It is considered one of the more dangerous parts of Mexico, where drug cartels control much of the territory and often hold more power than local law enforcement.

The FBI is seeking help from the public and offering a $50,000 (£41,620) reward for information leading to the return of the victims and the arrests of those involved.

The Americans were driving in a van with North Carolina licence plates, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which did not identify the US citizens.

Matamoros is located directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas.

According to the State Department, organised crime "including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault - is common along the northern border," including in the state of Tamaulipas.

Criminal groups have targeted buses as well as cars driving through the state, often taking passengers and asking for ransom payments in an area where local law enforcement has limited ability to respond to crime, the State Department said.

The US government estimates that hundreds of thousands of Americans cross the border into Mexico each year to receive healthcare services, including prescription drugs. The majority of Americans cite cheaper costs as the most common reason to get treatment abroad.

It amazes me how people travel to Mexico every day for cheap goods or vacation. I know people will say it's beautiful and it's "safe where I go". I believe Matamoros was called the killing fields of Mexico at one time. Don't these peeps listen to the news??

Why is the southern border not set up with a DMZ like North and South Korea? Would have a lot less problems.

Well...hope their families are prepared for the worst. Hate to be so negative...

I wouldn't go into any...ANY...ANY...Texas border town without a MINIMUM of two, fully-armed Navy Seal units. People who drive a vehicle across the border are simple dolts! Morons! Imbeciles! Idiots! Those that do deserve everything they get for the poor life decision-making abilities they exercise.

That's all I have to say about that......

p.s. wouldn't go into ANY southern border town, but isolated Texas because that's where I live and with what I'm familiar.

IIRC, Matamoros was where the Santeria related murders was occurring back in the late 80’s. The cartels had pretty much complete control there and it appears little has changed. Of course, with a wide open border it has changed; it’s likely gotten far worse. The criminal element fears nothing from the Biden criminal organization.

The news says they went to Mexico for a ‘medical procedure’?

Now maybe the intended savings will cost them?

I don’t have a problem flying into Cancun, mostly staying at the resort. I’m not likely to drive across the border for anything.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Why is the southern border not set up with a DMZ like North and South Korea? Would have a lot less problems.

You really don't know why ?

[quote]medical procedure’?[/quoTE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Cosmetic procedure I am told.

I've visited Mexico City a few times on business. On the first trip the guy I was traveling with was grabbed from behind, we both spun around fists ready to punch and the guy ran off (we are both over 6'2). A Policia watched the entire event and never moved other than to shrug and motion with his head that we should keep walking. I learned shortly after that that only Mexico City and a narrow strip up the middle of the country is Federale controlled, the rest is all at the whim of the cartels.

Had a sales guy want to pursue a project in Sinaloa. I did a little research and learned that you better be prepared to pay heavy 'taxes' to the cartel if you want the project to proceed. My particular client refused once years before and when they arrived the next day the head and hands of their Mexican supervisor were on the roof of his car in the parking lot.

I caught this travel warning on a different network last night
https://www.foxla.com/news/mex...sidents-spring-break

Yes, resorts are nice but you have to fly into an airport and navigate through cartel controlled areas.

There are better and safer places to travel than Mexico right now.

It seems that Americans of Hispanic/Mexican heritage are more likely to go to Mexico for medical/dental work. It may have been something they have done in the past. Different experiences, different perceptions.

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:
BBC reporting 2 of 4 are dead.

"CBS News reported the Americans were Latavia "Tay" McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Eric James Williams and Zindell Brown.
...
According to an unnamed US official cited by CNN, investigators think a Mexican drug cartel probably mistook the Americans for Haitian drug smugglers.
...
One of the victims, Ms McGee, was travelling to the Mexican border town to have a tummy tuck, a cosmetic surgery procedure to remove abdominal fat, relatives told US media outlets."


So you wanna save a few bucks on your tummy tuck by traveling to a crime-ridden third-world country with travel restrictions warning of a high risk of death or kidnapping, and then act shocked when you and your pals get kidnapped/murdered?

I used to go to the border towns, but that was 40 to 25 years ago. I wouldn't go to any of them now.

A friend of mine went to Mexico for some elective surgery a couple of years ago, but she went to one of the resort towns where they cater to such visitors. I wouldn't do it in a border town. Even the resort towns aren't really safe enough for me, but they are better.

I had a former employee take a similar trip. I knew she was taking a week of PTO and was having a procedure but she didn't reveal what or where. I couldn't ask so I continued with life. I found out after she got back.

According to her she was treated like royalty. She was picked up at the airport, they stayed at a luxury hotel attached to the hospital the night before. She had the procedure, spent a night in a hospital room, then was moved back into her hotel room and received periodic medical care in the room until departure. She was then shuttled to the airport and sent home. Total cost was 1/3 of her deductible for doing it here.

Not a bad process, perhaps something could be learned from that. I bet she wouldn't do it now though.

All decisions have consequences.

They chose poorly.

I had to go to Mexico City then to Southern Mexico to visit Silver/zinc mines. The hotel we stayed at was like a military compound, every gate/door/elevator was guarded by masked security with automatic weapons, and body armor. Walls at least 15' high with razor wire on the top completely surrounding the grounds. Inside the hotel it was like paradise, drive out the gate and they were burning cars in the street. Anytime we would have to leave the grounds we were escorted by 2 SUV's with armed guards in both. Just like you see in the movies. I was never so happy to get back home.

Understand that a lot of people in California do this, travel into Mexico for cosmetic type procedures.

Gastric bypass is a huge reason, most insurance won't cover it, and the cost in the US is significantly higher.

Friend of mine did it, and then sent two of his kids with weight problems, both were diabetic and the surgery went perfect, even fixed his hernia, said it was like Rightwire said, in a luxury hotel, surgery, over to a hospital recovery room, back to the hotel then home at about a 1/3rd of the cost of surgery here.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I used to go to the border towns, but that was 40 to 25 years ago. I wouldn't go to any of them now.

A friend of mine went to Mexico for some elective surgery a couple of years ago, but she went to one of the resort towns where they cater to such visitors. I wouldn't do it in a border town. Even the resort towns aren't really safe enough for me, but they are better.

That's the take-away from all of this, stay away from the border. Unless you're from there or, know the area, the Mexican border region is chock-full of bad things. It's been like that for decades, from CA to TX; when the maquiladora factories were set-up in the 60's, things went from bad to worse. You truly have to be ignorant to consider spending any time in the border areas of Mexico.

quote:

Gastric bypass is a huge reason, most insurance won't cover it, and the cost in the US is significantly higher.

Friend of mine did it, and then sent two of his kids with weight problems, both were diabetic and the surgery went perfect, even fixed his hernia, said it was like Rightwire said, in a luxury hotel, surgery, over to a hospital recovery room, back to the hotel then home at about a 1/3rd of the cost of surgery here.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Gastric Bypass is typically a covered service if you meet clinical guidelines. What happens if you happen to have complications?

When I lived in El Paso, plenty of people went there for the cheap medical care (especially dental), food, booze and auto repair.

I never went, never had any interest in going.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
What happens if you happen to have complications?

Then you die like Steve McQueen did in Juarez.