A splinter group of the Gulf Cartel, known as the Scorpions Group, has apologised for the kidnapping of four US citizens in the Mexican border city of Matamoros last week, which resulted in the deaths of two of them, and has handed over the men it claims are responsible.
Mexican newspapers published a photograph showing five men lying face down with their hands tied and T-shirts pulled over their heads, apparently as police arrived. A letter left with the men, obtained by the Associated Press from a law enforcement official in Tamaulipas state, apologised to the people of Matamoros, the US victims and their families, and a Mexican woman killed in the attack.
The letter states: 'We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible for the events,' accusing the five of acting 'under their own decision-making and lack of discipline' and breaking cartel rules over 'protecting the lives of the innocent'.
A health clinic in Matamoros where the injured Americans were taken has been cordoned off by police. The two with the worst injuries, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, died soon after. Reuters reported that Mexican officials handed their bodies to US officials on Thursday afternoon for repatriation.
Doubts have emerged about the initial version of events. The group had reportedly travelled to Matamoros for Latavia McGee to undergo cosmetic surgery, accompanied by three friends. However, Reuters cited an internal law enforcement document showing Mexican authorities are investigating whether the four were kidnapped after being mistaken for rival cartel members.
The incident has sparked political tensions. US Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed designating Mexican drug cartels as 'Foreign Terrorist Organisations' to 'unleash the fury and might of the United States'. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador responded that 'Mexico was not a protectorate or a colony of the United States', and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the proposal 'unacceptable'. US Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall is in Mexico to discuss the fentanyl crisis.
