LAREDO, Texas — Federal agencies gathered in South Texas to address the alarming issue of firearms from the United States ending up in the hands of Mexican cart
The bodies of five musicians, members of a Mexican regional music group who had gone missing, were found in the northern city of Reynosa along the Texas border, authorities said on Thursday. LAREDO, Texas — Federal agencies gathered in South Texas to address the alarming issue of firearms from the United States ending up in the hands of Mexican cartels.
During a press event in Laredo, officials highlighted a recent crackdown on weapons being smuggled across the border.in Reynosa, a city along the Texas/Mexico border. Tamaulipas state prosecutors say the men were kidnapped while traveling to a venue where they were hired to play. Prosecutors say nine suspects believed to be part of a Mexican drug cartel were arrested. Investigators are still trying to figure out a motive for the murders.U.S. officials in San Antonio and throughout South Texas are intensifying efforts to halt the flow of guns purchased in the U.S. and trafficked into Mexico, where they often end up with violent cartels. Recently seized firearms, intended for smuggling into Mexico, were displayed by U.S. Customs and other law enforcement agencies near the outbound inspection lanes to underscore their ongoing work. Donald Kusser of Customs and Border Protection emphasized the importance of collaboration between agencies. "Through this strong collaboration between CBP, ATF, and HSI, we are able to work together as a force multiplier in effectively disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations involved in weapons trafficking and make America safer in the process," he said. Kusser noted that recent executive orders have expanded federal agencies' authority to act. "Every firearm that crosses that border into the hands of a criminal organization represents a potential act of terror and a threat of safety of people on both sides of the border," he said. Homeland Security officials have made this issue a top priority, as gun violence in Mexico has surged in recent years, often spilling over into the U.S. via I-35. "If you’re in South Texas, if you’re in San Antonio, the violence that occurs in Mexico, cartel related, it makes it to San Antonio, some of the crime that you are seeing," said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. New penalties have been introduced, increasing the consequences for gun trafficking to up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. "It’s a serious crime, and we understand the impact a lot of these firearms have in Mexico," said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel, of the Houston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities stressed the heightened stakes, as cartels are now classified as foreign terrorist organizations, which elevates the consequences for those aiding them. The musicians from the band Grupo Fugitivo, which played at parties and local dances in the region, had been reported missing since May 25. Tamaulipas state prosecutors, who had been investigating their disappearance, said the men were kidnapped around 10 p.m. that night while traveling in a SUV on the way to a venue where they were hired to play. Their bodies were found on the fringes of Reynosa. Prosecutors said nine suspects believed to be part of a faction of the Gulf Cartel, which has strong presence in the city, have been arrested. Authorities were not immediately able to say why the men were slain, and did not deny reports by local media that the bodies had been burned. The genre they played – Mexican regional music, which encapsulates a wide range of styles including corridos and cumbia – has in recent years gained a spotlight as it’s entered a sort of international musical renaissance. Young artists sometimes pay homage to leaders of drug cartels, often portrayed as Robin Hood-type figures. It was not immediately clear if the group played such songs or if the artists were simply victims of rampant cartel violence that has eclipsed the city. But other artists have faced death threats by cartels, while others have had their visas stripped by the United States under accusations by the Trump administration that they were glorifying criminal violence. The last time the musicians were heard from was the night they were kidnapped, when they told family members they were on the way to the event. After that, nothing else was heard of them. Their disappearance caused an uproar in Tamaulipas, a state long eclipsed by cartel warfare. Their families reported the disappearances, called on the public for support and people took to the streets in protest. On Wednesday, protesters blocked the international bridge connecting Reynosa and Pharr, Texas, later going to a local cathedral to pray and make offerings to the disappeared. Reynosa is a Mexican border city adjacent to the United States and has been plagued by escalating violence since 2017 due to internal disputes among groups vying for control of drug trafficking, human smuggling and fuel theft. This case follows another that occurred in 2018, when armed men kidnapped two members of the musical group “Los Norteños de Río Bravo,” whose bodies were later found on the federal highway connecting Reynosa to Río Bravo, Tamaulipas.
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