quote:

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — 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.

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Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Are they inviting important American officials for a dinner?

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:
I'm sure we all feel better now that the cartel involved has sent an apology letter. Apparently the violent murderers and drug smugglers involved in the incident broke the violent murderous drug smuggling cartel's strict rules about respecting the lives and well-being of the innocent.

(No, it's not from The Onion or The Babylon Bee.)

From https://apnews.com/article/mex...campaign=position_01

quote:

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — 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.

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:

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Originally posted by CPD SIG:

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Originally posted by OKCGene:
I may be wrong, but I thought that most of the rental car companies, if not all of them, did not allow you to take the car across international borders. That would be in the rental contract you sign.
.

If they're going to Mexico for a tummy tuck, do you think they're really going to read the contract line by line?

Exactly. OKCGene is thinking like an intelligent rule-follower, not like the average Joe.

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — One of the two Mexico kidnapping survivors was arrested Friday night in Myrtle Beach, according to online booking records.

Latavia Washington McGee, 34, was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, records show.

Washington McGee’s child, a minor, allegedly went to a location to fight another child on Feb. 17, according to an arrest warrant obtained by News13. The child was then removed from the location by another family member, before allegedly being taken back to the location by Washington McGee.

The warrant alleges that she knowingly took her child to the location of the fight. Police were able to view security video of the entire incident.

During the incident, she allegedly “pulled a pistol from her purse and started waving it around,” according to a police report obtained by News13.

Washington McGee was part of a group that traveled to Mexico in March for a cosmetic procedure, according to reports. Eric Williams also survived the kidnapping. Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard were both killed. All four are Lake City natives.

The group was found at a wooden shack and taken back to the United States, according to Mexican investigative documents viewed by the Associated Press.

Inside the shack, the documents said Washington McGee and Williams were blindfolded. Beside them were the bodies of Woodard and Brown, wrapped in blankets and plastic bags. When authorities arrived, Washington McGee and Williams shouted desperately to them in English.

A guard who tried to escape out a back door was quickly apprehended, the documents said. He was wearing a tactical vest, but there is no mention of him being armed.

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The whole thing sounds like an episode of Justified where Boyd and company went to Mexico to pick up a load of heroin and smuggle it back themselves, with almost the same results as this situation.

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Originally posted by RogueJSK:
I'm sure we all feel better now that the cartel involved has sent an apology letter. Apparently the violent murderers and drug smugglers involved in the incident broke the violent murderous drug smuggling cartel's strict rules about respecting the lives and well-being of the innocent.