mexican cartel hijacks bus carrying migrants to the us and demands ransom of $1,500 per person
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of kidnappings that have been reported, with criminal organizations charging migrants to pass through Mexico before kidnapping them and holding them for ransom. Last year, Mexico saw the kidnapping of over 2,100 migrants.
The kidnapping of about 50 migrants in northern Mexico by a gang of criminals was revealed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The National Guard is currently searching in the area of Matehuala, a city in northern Mexico, where some of the migrants have been rescued.
According to the president, some people have already been located, and authorities are hopeful that the remaining migrants can be safely rescued.
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According to media reports, nine people could flee and were saved, leaving about 40 people still unaccounted for.
The migrants were attacked while riding a bus that left from the southern state of Chiapas and was headed north toward the United States.
The people who were saved were from Venezuela and Honduras, according to reports citing Nuevo Leon authorities.
The criminal organization demanded a $1,500 (€1,383) ransom for each kidnapped person, according to information from the National Confederation of Mexican Transporters.
This incident is just the most recent in a string of kidnappings in the area.
The president of Mexico, Lopez Obrador, acknowledged the unfortunate reality of kidnapping gangs. Gang and drug cartel activity have a long history in the place where the authorities are searching.
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of kidnappings that have been reported, with criminal organizations charging migrants to pass through Mexico before kidnapping them and holding them for ransom.
The National Institute of Migration reports that more than 2,100 migrants were abducted in Mexico last year.
In a different incident last month, about 35 people—tourists and migrants—were kidnapped in the nation’s northeast. They were finally discovered in a desert region.