Mexico: Three arrested for the murder of Fugitivo band members

Mexican authorities reported that three people were arrested in the northern state of Tamaulipas as suspects in the deaths of five men belonging to a musical group.

Tamaulipas, bordering the United States, is a region plagued by violence linked to organized crime gangs, which are vying for lucrative drug trafficking routes.

According to the prosecutor's office, the five men from Fugitivo were kidnapped on Sunday night, May 25, while on their way to a concert in a pickup truck. Their bodies were found on a property in the city of Reynosa last Thursday.

"A deployment was carried out in three properties in the municipality of Reynosa, where Santos 'N,' Raúl 'N' and Jesús Alejandro 'N' were arrested," all with alleged ties to the crime, said the Ministry of Public Security in a statement.

The agency added that these people were also found to have long weapons, cartridges, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

For years, Mexican regional musicians have been the target of threats and aggression by organized crime groups, who pay them to compose and perform "narcocorridos" that exalt their leaders.

Tamaulipas is home to the Gulf Cartel, which the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has named a "terrorist organization." Nine alleged members of that group had already been detained as alleged perpetrators of the crime.