Cartel Apologizes For Kidnapping And Killing Americans, Turns Over Its Own Members For ‘Lack Of Discipline’: REPORT

Cartel Apologizes For Kidnapping And Killing Americans, Turns Over Its Own Members For ‘Lack Of Discipline’: REPORT

Jennie Taer on March 9, 2023

A letter from a group claiming to be a Mexican cartel responsible for the recent killings of two Americans in Matamoros offered an apology on behalf of its own members for the attack, according to The Associated Press.

The Gulf cartel’s Scorpions faction wrote an apology to the residents of Matamoros, where four Americans were kidnapped, two of which were killed, the AP reported. The Americans were kidnapped Friday in the Mexico border town across from Brownsville, Texas.

“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.

The letter also stated that those involved went against the cartel’s rules of “respecting the life and well-being of the innocent.”

The victims were traveling from South Carolina for one to get a tummy tuck procedure. Gunmen opened fire on the group and placed them in a vehicle before armed men took them away from the scene, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.

The two surviving victims, identified as Latavia “Tay” McGee and Eric James William, were returned to the U.S. and rushed to a Brownsville hospital. McGee was wounded and William had a bullet in his leg, USA Today reported.

The Gulf cartel is heavily involved in drug trafficking and gaining control over law enforcement, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Matamoros is considered a “Level 4” area by the U.S. State Department, which advises against Americans travelling there due to “crime and kidnapping.