A Mexican cartel surprised many by apologizing for the kidnapping and murder of Americans. The criminal group even handed over the members who were directly involved in the attack.
The Scorpions faction of the Gulf Cartel wrote a letter to the residents of the municipality of Matamoros, Mexico, where four Americans were kidnapped, two of whom were killed.
"The[Gulf Cartel] apologizes to the society of Matamoros (...) and to the U.S. individuals and families affected," the handwritten letter stated.
The criminal group explained that the people who were "directly involved" in the attack acted "at all times acted under their own decision making". The faction even highlighted the "lack of discipline" of those responsible for the event.
"Therefore, we decided to turn in those directly involved" who operated "against the rules" on which the cartel is based, which according to the letter is supposedly based on "respecting the lives and welfare of the innocent."
Several media outlets reported that the poster left the note on the windshield of a pickup truck that was right in front of five men who were tied up and left on the sidewalk, some of them shirtless.
"The Gulf Cartel, Scorpions Group, strongly condemns the events of last Friday," the text stated.
Cartel mexicano entrega a sus integrantes que mataron por error a dos estadounidenses: se disculparon https://t.co/bpxBx2K2L2
— BioBioChile (@biobio) March 9, 2023
Kidnapping reignited the controversy
Shortly before the kidnapping of four Americans and the death of two of them, former U.S. Attorney General William Barr spoke of the risk posed by the cartels to the American people.
"The danger that cartels pose to the United States requires that we confront them primarily as national security threats, not as a law enforcement matter. These narco-terrorist groups are more like ISIS than the U.S. mafia," he said.
Following this and the news of the kidnapping, Senator Lindsey Graham announced that he would introduce legislation to make certain drug cartels "foreign terrorist organizations under U.S. law."
