My work focuses on people and their struggle to survive in an increasingly cruel world. The US Embassy reports that within the consular district served by the consulate within the Embassy (the US has ten consular districts in Mexico) there were 771 kidnappings reported by the Mexico government. They had to find other sources of income, which gave the hitmen in these groups carte blanche to participate in activities like kidnapping and extortion, he said. Other places in the world are far more violent., But for Almonte, who organizes seminars for US law enforcement on Mexican cartels, things are out of control and the Mexican government does not have a handle on it, he said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is the real story of "Maria" and her husband "Jose". Mexican drug-trafficking organizations have been engaged in brutal fights against . Source: infobae.com, seguridadjusticiaypaz.org.mx, Spring is coming and with it 17 tourist cruises will arrive, Watch out! May 2, 2021. The city was . A third victim escaped the Merida hideout and alerted Mexican authorities, who freed an unknown number of captives. The civil association Stop Kidnapping revealed that the number of victims associated with kidnapping decreased in February on Mexicowith a ratio of 7.9 percent, 131 victims were reported during the month.. While the states with a record of zero kidnappings were: Baja California, Campeche, Coahuila, Durango, Nayarit, Quertaro, San Luis Potos, and Yucatn, said Miranda de Wallace. The government has had successes in capturing some of its most wanted criminals; consequently, organized criminal groups are becoming much less organized and disciplined. The abduction and massacre of 43 Mexican students in Ayotzinapa, the seizing and murder of two federal agents in February, the kidnapping of three students by a group posing as police in March, and the disappearance of a politicians sister in a town just outside of Mexico City in March are the most recent high-profile examples of a criminal business strategy that has ballooned over the past decade. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Market data provided by Factset. They never made it. According to the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice AC, the rearrangement and the dispute of the cartels by the areas of the state, brought the municipality of Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, to first place in the list of the most violent sites in Mexico. Attempted kidnapping of a young woman in Merida thwarted, CDC: Cruise Ships May Begin Outside the US Starting in July. For a full list of destinations, look at the State Departments website. Abducting people and demanding ransom money is one way to do that. MRIDA, Yucatn, (October 15, 2021).- The civil associationAlto al Secuestroannounced thatYucatnis among the 8 states of the Republic that reportzero kidnappings, the other states are Campeche, Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Aguascalientes, Nayarit, Durango and Coahuila. All rights reserved. Names and boundary representation are not necessarily authoritative. Violence is on the rise in Mexicos central and southern states, a 2018 report from the OSAC found. The stark Shows how much people think the problem in their community are property crimes (home broken, car theft, etc. If convicted, they could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for kidnapping and a maximum of 15 years for human smuggling, according to media reports. Tulum will keep growing because the Mexican government is really investing in tourism here, said Susann Rottloff, a Tulum-based realtor and German expatriate who has lived in Tulum for the last three years. In addition to battling their enemies in the Jalisco and Gulf cartels, they are fighting among themselves for control, said Almonte. The couple rented a car from an American company in Mexico City and had been on the road for about an hour when another vehicle rear-ended them. Government of Mazatln analyzes promoting the game of Ulama in the city, Puerto Peasco Rocky Point delivers hot meal to the neediest families, Despite Mazatlan Mayor allowing restaurants to open state health official overrule him, They arrest a Russian couple and a Sinaloan with half a million dollars, Denuncia Paisano, the app to report corruption and extortions of travelers in Mexico by authorities, In the middle of Mazatlan Motorcycle Week, a Tijuana biker is shot to death. The following is a . Both men face charges of conspiring to induce aliens to come to the United States and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Between January and March 2018, 400 kidnappings occurred. In 2015, Osegueras son Rubn Oseguera Gonzlez, known as El Menchito, was arrested on drug-trafficking charges and last year he was extradited to the US, where he awaits trial. The NGO detailed that, from December 2018 to September 2021,5 thousand 234 victims of kidnappinghave been registered, 3 thousand 993 investigation folders for the crime of kidnapping have been opened and 4 thousand 585 alleged kidnappers have been arrested. What I learned after being robbed at gunpoint in Mexico, It broke me: Everyone says you need power of attorney, but nobody tells you how hard it is to use. In its monthly report, the organizationAlto al Secuestrorecorded a decrease in the crime of kidnapping in Mexico. 0:00. I was not kidnapped because of my photographs as far as I know. But Deborah, Ramirezs older sister, believes the reason is more obvious and more troubling. (many of these crimes are never reported to the police). Between 2000 and 2006, there were about 400 kidnappings a year, which, while still a lot . Mexico is not doing anything to fix the problem, Almonte told The Post. According to a message from the victim on social media, the events occurredon 32nd avenue, near the Nuestra Seora del Rosario church. The agency cited an "increased risk of crime and kidnapping" in certain areas of Mexico. Legal Statement. Cenote Xoch, one of the best cenotes near Merida. He said on Ciro por la maana that the rise in homicides and kidnappings over the past 80 days has shown that cartels and criminals are changing their tactics. That is about the same as Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Two men promised to smuggle at least three Cuban migrants into the United States, but instead locked them in a Merida house and tortured them, Florida prosecutors say. Understand our limits. Its slogan is: Were all going to behave.. With El Chapo sentenced to life imprisonment at a maximum-security prison in Colorado, the group is now run by Ismael El Mayo Zambada Garcia, 73. In 26 days, we did not experience any crime. The couple filed a police report, which MarketWatch reviewed for this story, and flew back to the U.S. for medical treatment, including an emergency surgery on Jennifers nose, which was broken during a fight with her attackers. Who knows what kind of information she will give to authorities, Almonte told The Post. In addition, we dug a bit into the past to identify those incidents which were published in which an individual or family found itself the victim of a kidnapping. They dont lose any sleep over who they shoot. On Monday in a press briefing,Department spokesperson Ned Price said there were no reports to share on U.S. citizens being injured or killed in the incident. USA TODAY. The one we read about the most is Kidnap for Ransom. Other forms are Express Kidnapping where the victim is kidnapped for the sole purpose of making ATM withdrawals and Virtual Kidnappings where no kidnapping has actually occurred but family members are manipulated into thinking one has in an attempt to induce them to pay a ransom. Is Merida Mexico safe? Her burned-out bullet-ridden SUV was reportedly found . There are no tourist kidnappings in Puerto Vallarta that I'm aware of. Various groups have splintered into smaller gangs, which have branched out into different illegal business activities, and the associated violence is spreading across Mexico., Dont miss: What I learned after being robbed at gunpoint in Mexico, Kidnappings in Mexico are largely underreported, The actual number of kidnappings in Mexico is largely underreported, according to the OSAC, due to widespread belief among tourists and locals alike that the police may be involved in the crime or are unable to resolve the situation.. The hot spots (or hot zones) in the country (Map: Infobae Mxico) In the aforementioned period, more than 4,491 murders were registered in the largest source of alarm in the country: the Guanajuato-Michoacn area - disputed mainly by the Jalisco Nueva Generacin Cartel, Santa Rosa de Lima, and the United Cartels -, and in where the National Guard has a permanent presence in 22 percent of . See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. There is also updated information on the "kidnapping risk"for the states of Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Baja California, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Sonora, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Quintana Rooand San Luis Potosi. Unfortunately, in other latitudes of the country, the victims and investigation files for the crime of kidnapping have increased significantly. The government itself is completely incapable of dealing with the problem., MEXICAN POLICE FIND 20 BODIES, MOST BURNED, CLOSE TO US BORDER. Im asked a lot about travel to Mexico, and my recommendation is dont go.. As a result, criminal groups, beginning in the early 2000s, shifted their efforts toward the middle and lower classes. The principal motives for kidnapping are to subject the victim to some form of involuntary servitude, to expose him to the commission of some further criminal act against his person, or to . She climbed 20 feet up a tree and hid among the branches for several hours before Frank returned with officials later. Protesters join friends and family members of the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico, on the third year of their disappearance during marches held throughout 2017 in Mexico City. Its part of a trend experts refer to as the democratization of kidnapping. Help me! Cecilia A. narrated that she was walking on the aforementioned avenue whensuddenly two subjects aboard a red Jeep approached. Fifty-one of the kidnappings in Veracruz happened in the month January, Alto al Secuestro reported. Surprisingly, the data showed that Veracruz cut homicides by 20 percent a statistic that Garcia praised. Finally, someone picked up. The Australian Government is not able to guarantee your safety. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, I24, China News, Bloomberg, CBS, NBC, and ABC providing commentary and analysis. According to Numbeo's 2021 statistics, Merida ranks #8 as the safest city in the Americas. (Courtesy of John Sevigny). Avoid driving at night and on small roads, Watch your drink being poured and be particularly careful at bars and nightclubs, Keep visible signs of wealth like jewelry, watches or platinum credit cards out of sight, Be vigilant when going to ATMs and use an ATM at your hotel or resort when possible, Contact the nearest embassy to report crimes. Earlier this month, the State Department announced a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of four Sinaloa drug traffickers, including Aureliano Guzman Loera, who is known as El Guano and is the older brother of El Chapo. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In the last few months, a Senior Police Officer and a Taxi driver were both murdered by drug cartels. Similarly, it was announced that in February the number of detainees for this crime increased, with 120 people, while in January there were 35 alleged perpetrators of kidnapping. One hundred and thirty Yucatecans were attacked by snakes in 2022, Discrimination is the main cause of the decrease in the number of Mayan speakers, Mexico will send 84 athletes to the 2023 Youth Para-Panamerican Games, Cholera, number one enemy during the hot season, Oceanfront Evenings announced in Progreso, A vehicle catches fire in Conkal, Yucatn, Metropolitan Circuit joins the Va y Ven Route; it will be free of charge from March 4 -19, A man was found dead in a soccer field in Mrida, Man brutally beaten for running a stop sign in Kanasn, Rainless weekend and intense heat for the Yucatan. The fact does worry us that (kidnappings) have shot up compared to December., He did say he did not agree with the statistics issued by Alto al Secuestro, which is Spanish for Stopping Kidnapping.. MONTERREY, Mexico David Ramirez, a 19-year-old college student from Mexico City, and his best friend Miguel Angel Rivera, 20, were on their way to celebrate Miguels birthday in Zihuatanejo, a coastal village in the Mexican state of Guerrero. My sister is always struggling with money and drugs: I own a house with my husband and mother. What were seeing is a huge increase in street fighting from the plaza bosses, Texas-based security consultant Robert Almonte, an expert on Mexican cartels, told The Post. My main concern is about the people who cant get out, he said. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. It all started in 2017 when the local authorities carried out the arrest of two men of Russian origin, who in the United States had a criminal record implicated in drug dealing. Hundreds of people in Mexico are kidnapped every year. July 4, 1956, WestburyWhen Mrs. Weinberger checks on her sleeping 1-month-old son, Peter, all she finds is an empty carriage and a ransom note, promising the baby will be returned "safe and sound" once the $2,000 demand is met. If mugged, don't attempt to resist. Below these regions are Zihuatanejo, Ciudad Jurez, Celaya, Acmbaro, Uruapan, Solidaridad, Centro (Villahermosa), Valle de Santiago, Silao, Tecate, Salvatierra, Irapuato, Zamora. End your day with a swim in Cenote Zaci, just five minutes from downtown. In 2017 the FBI investigated 116 kidnappings in Mexico. All will be checked now! During the height of the pandemic last year, the countrys tourism revenues plummeted by more than 50 percent. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Crespo and Valdez [] He said he has never spoken to Mexican law enforcement about his ordeal. To put things in perspective, consider that the murder rate in Mexico's Yucatan State is 2 per 100,000. State governor Carlos Joaquin called the recent beach commando raid a serious blow to the development and security of the state putting the state at grave risk. With turf wars increasing among rival cartels, homicides in the state rose from 145 in 2015 to 628 in 2020 a 333 percent increase in a place where 75 percent of the local economy is based on tourism, according to Mexican statistics. Despite the opening of specialized prosecutors offices, the government has not yet been able to curb the cruelty of themurders, uprisings, and extortion. However the tragic death of Susana Carrera, whose body was found a week after she was kidnapped allegedly with a note claiming she was killed because her husband didnt want to pay a $207,000 ransom, is just one of the dozens of kidnappings and murders reported in the first two months of the year. Am I crazy? After my mother died, my cousin took her designer purse, and my aunt took 8 paintings from her home then things really escalated, What's next for bonds in 2023 after the worst year in history. Profeco analyzes 17 models, Only Mexicos Supreme Court of Justice can stop AMLOs electoral reform now. Dangerous Areas in Cancun. Kidnapping has been a problem in Mexico for decades, but it's gotten much, much worse in recent years. Sevigny told Fox News Wednesday that the men handcuffed him, beat him and tortured him for 38 hours. Mexican prosecutors say they have found a total of eight dead people on Cancun with two bodies dumped in two spots and four others individually found shot to death. 50. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! By Yucatan Times on July 19, 2019. Google Pay. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide . Zambada Garcia, who headed up his own eponymous criminal operation before joining the Sinaloa Cartel alongside El Chapo, is reportedly in ill health and in hiding. The 80 days mark the first two months under the new administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1. I moved around by bus, alone, and felt extremely safe. This crime is also not exclusive to Mexico, as the risk is widespread across Latin America. I feel extremely safe here, said a Dutch expatriate, who just closed on a home in the area. But instead of launching a raid at that location, they launch a raid at some other random location. Davids family decorated their house with balloons and signs that read, Welcome Back, David and Miguel. But they didnt come back: The kidnappers cut all contact after getting the ransom payment. There is a lot of suffering going on. States to reconsider travel to (level 3) include Ciudad Juarez, the city of Chihuahua, Ojinaga, Palomas and the Nuevo Casas Grandes/Paquime region, and Nuevo Casas Grandes. The kidnappers were asking for 4 million Mexican pesos, which the family confirms they were unable to collect in time. Its [the recent violence] definitely concerning but its all relative. This story has been shared 114,982 times. Mexico can be a very dangerous place. As a result of this capture, information was obtained from more Russian people involved not only in drug trafficking but also in human trafficking. The U.S. State Department rates areas in terms of safety on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the least safe. A few hours later, Ramirez managed to contact his sister, Deborah. Jose was taken by kidnappers in central Mexico over a year ago. Reynaldo Marquez Crespo, 41, and Jancer Sergio Ramos Valdes, 33, both Cuban, face 35 years in prison on charges of alien smuggling and kidnapping. CANCN Quintana Roo (Times Media Mexico) - The Attorney General of Quintana Roo, scar Montes de Oca Rosales, said the search of a nightclub in the hotel . That mainly comes down to it being a big city. The gang has been a longtime enforcer of the Gulf Cartel, whose battle against their archrivals the ferocious Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel has recently resulted in shocking gangland-style violence along the Riviera Maya, a sun-drenched stretch of beaches on the Yucatan Peninsula that is Mexicos biggest tourist hub. The only U.S. cities that rank higher than Merida are Irvine, California, and Amarillo, Texas. From brutal beheadings to violent kidnappings, the cartel wars of Cancun have unleashed horror on Mexico's Caribbean coast as gangsters wreak havoc feet away from luxury resorts. Among those killed were Rhonita Maria Miller, 30, and her four children Howard, 12, Krystal 10, and 8-month-old babies Titus and Tiana. 13 Feb. 2020. So among stories of drug cartels, kidnappings, and more, it might get you wonderingis Merida, Mexico safe? Two men promised to smuggle at least three Cuban migrants into the United States, but instead locked them in a Merida house and tortured them, Florida prosecutors say. He is a former Senior Security Advisor to Cisco and served 30+ years within the CIA which awarded him the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal upon his retirement. Later, the victim said that a kidnapper told the group that he had raped the wives of other victims he had previously kidnapped as a form of payment, according to court records. But the per capita rate is highest in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, near the U.S. border. Like most big cities, organised crime occurs. Reducing your risk of kidnapping in a high risk destination. Despite the recent spate of drug violence, Tulums foreign residents are staying put. The states of Veracruz, Mexico City, Puebla, Morelos, and the State of Mexico had the highest incidence of kidnapping crime. They are putting David in a vehicle, the message said. Heat stroke, dehydration and gastroenteritis, better. Before 2020, more than eight million Americans visited Mexico each year, and a 2019 census reported that 1.2 million American and Canadian expats call Mexico home.. Expats are mostly drawn to the beach areas for the amazing weather, crystal-clear Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea, the lower cost of living, and the . In 2017 the FBI investigated 116 kidnappings in Mexico. According to the 2012 estimates, there were 100,000 Mennonites living in Mexico [1] (including 32,167 baptized adult church members), [5] the vast majority of them, or about 90,000 are established in the state of Chihuahua, [2] 6,500 were living in Durango, [3] with the rest living in small colonies in the states of . Tourists continue to flock to Mexico each year, even throughout the COVID pandemic. But for many criminal groups, the risks inherent in these kidnappings the publicity and police attention they attracted often werent enough to justify the reward. I am a single woman and Ive never had a problem, and Tulum is packed right now.. The U.S. State Department recently updated Mexico's travel warning for U.S. The decapitated body of Mexican businesswoman Susana Carrera was found last week after her family was unable to pay kidnappers the ransom they demanded. The authorities are colluding with the kidnappers, she said. Employee Appreciation Day gestures are nice, but heres what employees really want. The attack began after elements of the Municipalitys Public Security Secretariat attended to a report of the illegal deprivation of liberty of a person. The State Department has suggested caution in the state of Quintana Roo, which includes the popular destinations of Cancun, Tulum, and Cozumel. Thats where the foreigners, visiting the Malquerida Bar last month, had the bad luck of getting caught in cartel crossfire. The 63-year-old entrepreneur, who did not want to be identified by name, said he has been vacationing in Tulum for more than 10 years, and bought his first condo in the seaside resort town overlooking the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea two and a half years ago. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and After the 'Colado' was kidnapped, his alleged captors sent photographs to the man's family to ask for a ransom of about 10 million pesos. Mexican government figures from last month showed that homicide cases in Mexico rose by 15 percent in 2018 with 28,816 investigations opened last year, compared to 25,036 the previous year. Secuestro exprs, or express kidnappings in which victims are taken for a short time until small payments are met have become more common in recent years, according to Valds.