Current:Home > NewsMexico says a drug cartel kidnapped 14 people from towns where angry residents killed 10 gunmen -SecureWealth Bridge
Mexico says a drug cartel kidnapped 14 people from towns where angry residents killed 10 gunmen
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-10 06:47:47
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A drug cartel in central Mexico has kidnapped 14 local residents, including four children, in apparent retaliation for an uprising by angry farmers earlier this month that killed 10 cartel gunmen, officials said.
Farmers in the village of Texcaltitlan and a neighboring hamlet had apparently grown tired of cartel extortions. Armed only with sickles and hunting rifles, they chased down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire on Dec. 8, hacking, shooting and burning them. Four villagers also died in the clash.
Prosecutors said late Wednesday that the cartel then abducted 14 people, including four children between the ages of 1 1/2 and 14. The abducted adults include three policemen who were seized at a cartel roadblock, and a wounded villager the gang snatched from a hospital soon after the clash.
It was unclear if there was an intentional symbolic meaning in the fact that 14 gunmen were killed by the farmers in the clash and that 14 people were kidnapped.
José Luis Cervantes, the head prosecutor for the State of Mexico, located west of the country’s capital, Mexico City, said no ransom demand had been received. Previously, state officials had denied anyone was kidnapped, and said they were simply “missing.”
But residents of the village and a nearby hamlet said the Familia Michoacana drug cartel was demanding they hand over the leaders of the uprising, in exchange for releasing the kidnapped children and adults.
Cervantes said none of the villagers would face charges for the Dec. 8 clash, because the confrontation had been classified as “legitimate self defense” because the farmers were defending their properties.
Gunmen from the Familia Michoacana cartel, which has long dominated the area, had showed up in the village earlier, demanding local farmers pay a per-acre (hectare) extortion fee from farmers.
The bloodshed occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of the capital. A video of the clash that emerged appears to show the gunmen wore military-style uniforms, some with helmets. Villagers apparently set their bodies and vehicles on fire.
Drug cartels in Mexico have been known to extort money from almost any legal or illegal business that they can, sometimes attacking or burning ranches, farms or stores that refuse to pay.
The Familia Michoacana is known for its brazen ambushes of police, as well as the the 2022 massacre of 20 townspeople in the town of Totolapan in neighboring state of Guerrero. The attack killed the town’s mayor, his father and 18 other men.
veryGood! (55)
Related
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- IRS has second thoughts about selfie requirement
- Diplo Says He's Received Oral Sex From a Guy in Discussion on His Sexuality
- Avril Lavigne Confronts Topless Protestor Onstage at 2023 Juno Awards
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- King Charles III's coronation to feature shards of True Cross gifted by Pope Francis
- Are you over the pandemic? We want to hear about your worries or hopes
- Antiquities plucked from storeroom on Roman Forum display, including colored dice and burial offerings
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Very rare 1,000-year-old Viking coins unearthed by young girl who was metal detecting in a Danish cornfield
Ranking
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- A.I. has mastered 'Gran Turismo' — and one autonomous car designer is taking note
- Vanderpump Rules Star Lala Kent’s Amazon Picks Include a $4 Must-Have With 20,600+ 5-Star Reviews
- Ukrainian girls' math team wins top European spot during olympiad
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- India's population set to surpass China's in summer 2023, U.N. says
- Look Back on Vanderpump Rules' Most Shocking Cheating Scandals
- Thousands of Americans still trying to escape Sudan after embassy staff evacuated
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
An undersea cable fault could cut Tonga from the rest of the world for weeks
Russia invades Ukraine as explosions are heard in Kyiv and other cities
TikToker Abbie Herbert Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby Boy With Husband Josh Herbert
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Have you used Buy Now Pay Later? Tell us how it went
FBI director says the threat from China is 'more brazen' than ever before
Apple's Tim Cook wins restraining order against woman, citing trespassing and threats