FBI Investigated 113 Cases of US Citizens Kidnapped and/or Extorted in Mexico in 2018

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Milenio

Worry about violence : The US Department of State warns of "serious risk" for its citizens in Mexico City, where it ensures that the crime rate already exceeds the average of their country. 

The United States government revealed that the FBI investigated 113 kidnappings in Mexico committed against Americans in 2018, and alerted its citizens to be careful when traveling to Mexico City , due to the "serious risk of crime" that prevails. 

According to the Foreign Security Advisory Council (OSAC) of the US Department of State, the overall crime rate in CdMx is above the US national average and has various manifestations. In its report it is mentioned that of the 113 cases of kidnappings investigated in Mexico by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 64 the victim was a US citizen, in 10 it was legal residents and in 39 cases Extortion or rescue calls were received from a number in the US. 

The US government included Mexico in the list of the 35 countries where Americans are in danger of being kidnapped.   In addition to the high levels of crime in Mexico City,  the council recommended that its citizens not travel to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas. 

             

With respect to Tamaulipas, the Advisory Council pointed out that in this entity murders, armed robbery, car theft, kidnapping, extortion and sexual abuse are committed , but there are also drug cartels and road blocks. Often, he added, criminal cells take hostages on buses or cars and demand ransom. 

"The federal and state security forces have a limited capacity to respond to violence in many parts of the state," the OSAC said.

The document mentions that the Mexican government reported 480 cases of kidnapping in 2018 and that the highest number of crimes were committed in the State of Mexico, Veracruz, Guerrero and Tabasco . "The investigations involved police or former officers in many of these incidents," the council said.

Increasing insecurity :

The report emphasizes that "there is a serious risk of crime in Mexico City" and that the overall crime rate in the capital is above the national average of the US. 

"The low rate of criminal convictions contributes to the high crime rate . Although there is no pattern of criminals directed specifically against companies, foreign or US personnel, criminals will attack anyone who is considered lucrative and vulnerable. 

"Offenders select victims based on an appearance of prosperity, vulnerability or lack of awareness.

Armed robbery, kidnapping, car theft, fraud are some of the crimes committed in the capital. He announced that there have been few government employees in the US embassy in CdMx who have been victims of express kidnappings, but many Mexicans who work in the diplomatic headquarters have been victims of this crime or know a victim. 

 The council stressed that Mexico is experiencing a combination of conditions that collectively degrade the security environment in certain areas and that the government has captured some of the most wanted criminals. 

"Consequently, criminal groups are becoming less organized and disciplined. Several groups have been divided into smaller gangs, have branched into different illegal business activities, and the associated violence is spreading throughout Mexico. " 

He stressed that the northern half of Mexico had been an area of ​​greater threat, because of the wars between the cartels . 

However, recent statistics show that violence is increasing in the central and southern states, particularly in Guerrero, Michoacán and the State of Mexico. 

Yesterday, 44 executed:

The violence left 44 dead in 11 states; seven in Mexico City, of which three were women: one was murdered in the Colonia Morelos, another was shot in her home and one  more feminicide was reported. In Acapulco, Guerrero, seven people died in different violent events; in Oaxaca five homicides were reported, one of the victims was decapitated. Three executions were also recorded in Silao, Guanajuato, and a body found in León. In Monterrey, Nuevo León, a taxi driver was found dead, authorities located a body on a plot of land and three young people were killed. In Edomex three people were executed, while in Quintana Roo two people were killed. In addition, in BC there was one homicide; in Chihuahua, seven; in Veracruz, three, and in Puebla, one.