Two American citizens were reportedly kidnapped by Mexican cartel member in Mexico near the border of Texas earlier this month, according to Breitbart News. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. In 2002, Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her own bedroom at the age of 14 and spent nine months at the mercy of her captors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee. Her body was recovered days later. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. Apparently the priests came out and they were also killed," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters on Tuesday during his regular morning news conference, after he was asked about the killings. CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Many of the hundreds of migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso this week were part of a group kidnapped in Mexico as they made their way to the United States, according to nine migrants interviewed by Reuters. "Capital punishment is the sentence for all these crimes.". Haitis political crisis, which was only deepened by the assassination of President Jovenel Mose in July 2021, has served as a backdrop for a rapidly deteriorating security environment in which gangs have thrived. Use Ask Statista Research Service. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Two high-ranking leaders of Los Aztecas ran the gang's sex-trafficking and kidnapping ring from inside the walls of two prisons in Jurez. Kidnapping takes many forms and occurs for a wide variety of reasons. Michoacan state due to crime. Two other migrants also said they had seen people in municipal police uniforms during the kidnapping. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "This kidnapping and others show the risks that migrants face in Mexico and all the different groups trying to make money off of them," she said. The update comes after recent cases of kidnapping and violence in the region. Kidnappings for ransom accounted for 81 of the investigations, 10 cases had no ransom demands, and 25 cases were virtual kidnappings. The Durango prosecutor's office said it had not opened an investigation because it had not received any complaints but confirmed rescues had taken place on Dec. 5 and 7. But the per capita rate is highest in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, near the U.S. border. The warning states that "violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is common" in Mexico. (Reporting by Jose Luiz Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez and Jimenez; Jackie Botts in Oaxaca City; and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Kylie Madry, Lizbeth Diaz, Ted Hesson and Ismael Lopez; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Rosalba O'Brien), Tags: Nicaragua, United States, Mexico, kidnapping, Texas. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In 2019, the number of cases of intentional injury in Mexico increased for the fourth straight year in a row. In late April, the Northeast Cartel allegedly killed and burned the bodies of eight people linked to the Gulf Cartel in the town of Camargo, 75 kilometers west of Reynosa. Kidnapping has been a problem in Mexico for decades, but it's gotten much, much worse in recent years. Some restrictions include not hailing taxis from the street but rather using a ride-share service like Uber or regulated taxi stands, and to not travel alone to remote locations. (Reuters, News24) Statistics show that 71% of non-family abductions happen outdoors. It does not store any personal data. The National Guard confirmed the details in a separate statement. In fact, a 136-mile highway that connects Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, is known as "the highway of death," or "carretera de la muerte," because dozens of people have disappeared in the area without a trace. In one incident, Mexico's Migration Institute (INM) said that along with the Army and National Guard it had freed more than 250 people from a property in the Durango town of Ciudad Lerdo on Dec. 5. That said, broader trends are still observable from collected data, and can be useful in informing insurance requirements or organisational crisis management plans. Kidnappers rationed meager food and water, prioritizing women and children, the migrants told Reuters. Arguably the best-known and most influential kidnapping in American history was the abduction of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., the 20-month-old son of famed pilot Charles Lindbergh. The army employs very few civilians or outside contractors, and it staffs most services from hospitals and schools to weapons factories with its own personnel. HUNDREDS OF MEXICAN NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS SENT TO TIJUANA OVER CARTEL-FUELED VIOLENCE. Last week, the State Department issued a shelter-in-place alert to U.S. citizens with reports of "multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity" in Tijuana and the surrounding area. In order to prevent kidnappings, the state of Quintana Roo has adopted a mass-surveillance system using C5 cameras, paying special attention to tourist-frequented bars, restaurants, and shops. The army said in a statement that the captives were freed after about 15 hours. S-RMs data on high-profile kidnapping incidents shows a clear dip in 2019-2020; a similar dip was observable for crime rates overall, explained at least in part by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions on movement. Neighbors reported the kidnapping to the police at around 2:30 a.m., but the first officers arrived at the scene only 50 minutes later, according to a report in the newspaper Milenio. MEXICO CITY, June 21 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities said on Tuesday that they are searching for the bodies of three people, including two Jesuit priests, as well as four people who were kidnapped in a violent stretch of northern Mexico. Gunfire broke out on a beach in Mexicos Caribbean coast resort of Cancun Tuesday, sending tourists scrambling for cover. Most of the kidnapped migrants were Nicaraguans, who have been leaving their homeland in growing numbers to claim asylum and pursue better economic opportunities in the United States, encouraged by the knowledge they are unlikely to be immediately deported due to frosty relations between their government and Washington. On July 7, 1981, 10-year-old Adam Walsh was taken from a department store in Hollywood, Florida. They said they spent chilly nights sleeping on floors without blankets in what appeared to be an event hall. According to local authorities, a warning sign strung from two trees was also found at the gruesome scene, Reuters reported. With rampant crime, political instability and economic turmoil, 2022 may well prove to be another record-breaking year for kidnapping in Haiti. "WE RESPONDED TO SEVERAL PIRACY CASES LATE LAST YEAR AND UP UNTIL MARCH OF THIS YEAR, AFTER WHICH WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN OUR RESPONSE TO THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT. At the time, this included one specific case of kidnapping. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. A Look Ahead: Kidnapping in 2022 With a resurgence of kidnapping in 2021 following a Covid-19-driven hiatus the previous year, Markus Korhonen looks at some of the emerging trends in kidnapping, and how those are likely to be sustained over the coming twelve months. In contrast, there are eight states that did not register any kidnappings during January, which are Baja California Sur, Campeche, Mexico City, Colima, Durango, San Luis Potos, Tamaulipas and Yucatn. She was eventually rescued after Mitchell was recognized by a viewer who had seen the kidnapping profiled on America's Most Wanted. [1/3]Relatives and friends of the two priests Javier Campos and Joaquin Mora who were murdered, attend a mass after Mexican authorities said that they are searching for their bodies along with others who were kidnapped in a violent stretch of northern Mexico, at San Ignacio de Loyola church in Mexico City, Mexico June 21, 2022. WHILST THIS REDUCTION IN ACTIVITY CAN BE REFLECTIVE OF INSUREDS ON RISK AT ANY GIVEN TIME, IT SHOULD ALSO BE ASSESSED ALONGSIDE GENERAL REPORTING OF INCIDENTS IN THE REGION, WHICH I BELIEVE HAVE REDUCED.". Statista. Migrant estimates of the different incidents, combined with the INM figure, suggests it was over 1,000. Zacatecas state due to crime and. Byron Montiel, a Nicaraguan migrant also now in El Paso, showed Reuters a receipt of a money transfer that he said a relative sent to the kidnappers, and text messages from a kidnapper to one of his relatives demanding money. In light of this incident, the Quintana Roo Attorney Generals Office stated it would work together with different government agencies to prevent an incident similar to this from happening again. According to the advisory, "U.S.citizens are advised to adhere to restrictions on U.S. government employee travel." The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Though much less common, there also exist instances of children being kidnapped for more nefarious purposes, such as human trafficking or sexual exploitation. Guanajuato statedue tocrime and kidnapping. Many of the hundreds of migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso this week were part of a group kidnapped in Mexico as they made their way to the United States, according to nine migrants interviewed by Reuters. Travelers should "exerciseincreased caution when traveling to" Coahuila, Mexico and Nayarit and "not travel to" Zacatecas. The Iranian Hostage Crisis, as it came to be known, lasted 444 days, including the entire final year of U.S. President Jimmy Carter's term, and impacted the balance of political power around the globe. ", National Public Security System, Number of kidnapping cases reported in Mexico from 2015 to 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/979091/mexico-number-kidnapping-cases/ (last visited March 04, 2023), Number of kidnapping cases reported in Mexico from 2015 to 2021 [Graph], National Public Security System, March 20, 2022. Kimpton Set To Open Its First All-Inclusive Hotel In Playa del Carmen, Xcaret Tourist Bus Catches Fire With 25 People On Board, The Cancun Sun is an Off Path Enterprises production. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide . However, recent incidents show kidnap gangs are looking at different avenues for extracting ransoms, and have, for example, targeted the children of wealthy individuals. But as daily life has started to appear more like it did in the pre-pandemic era, so has criminality. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. There is also updated information on the "kidnapping risk"for the states of Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Baja California, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Sonora, Nuevo Len, Puebla, Quintana Rooand San Luis Potosi. When 13 Jan 2022 Editor Markus Korhonen Geography Haiti, South Africa, Nigeria See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Recent positive developments aside, the Gulf of Guinea will remain a high-risk seafaring area in 2022. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Fernando Reverte, president of Mapimi, a municipality which the migrants passed through after their capture and release, said the group of kidnapped migrants totaled about 1,500. As these have eased, opportunities for criminal actors have expanded, and there appears to have been a return to some activities made more difficult under lockdown conditions, such as kidnapping. FBI agents teamed up with U.S. Border Patrol agents and Mexican military officials to rescue a U.S. citizen being held by kidnappers in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. (There were 21,570 homicides . It is estimated that 300-400 cases involve Americans, most of whom are Green Card holders and dual citizens. Armed members of the National Guard drive past the site of a burnt collective transport vehicle after it was set on fire by unidentified individuals in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on August 12, 2022. The kidnappings are a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants as they travel across Mexico, crisscrossing areas rife with drug violence and weak rule of law. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. National Institute for Migration/Handout via REUTERS. It also warned that the U.S. government won't be able to help Americans if they become victims of crime while traveling there. 12+ years old children are the kidnapping victims in around 80% of all cases that include minors Girls from 12 to 17 years of age are the most typical victims of abduction We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. They were kidnapped for the simple reason that they belonged to the army, Gen. Vicente Prez Lpez said. Two other migrants also said they had seen people in municipal police uniforms during the kidnapping. In 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped from a parking lot in Arlington, Texas. Eight bodies were found Saturday on Mexico 's Yucatan peninsula, and they appear to be those of eight men apparently kidnapped from a resort on the Caribbean . Approximately 350 National Guard troops were flown in to support the thousands of federal troops already in the state of Baja California, Reforma reported. According to local news reports, a note was. Quintana Roo statedue tocrime and kidnapping. The State Department noted that violent crime, such as homicide, kidnappings, carjacking, and robbery, is "widespread and common" in Mexico. These factors point to a persistent kidnapping threat in South Africa in the coming year. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. One of the more unusual kidnappings in the Western World was that of Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old heiress and descendant of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. The Lerdo mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Durango's state security office said it had not received complaints of state police officers involved in the kidnapping and that municipalities were responsible for their own officers. Dont Forget Travel Insurance For Your Next Trip! Most of the kidnapped migrants were Nicaraguans, who have been leaving their homeland in growing numbers to claim asylum and pursue better economic opportunities in the United States, encouraged by the knowledge they are unlikely to be immediately deported due to frosty relations between their government and Washington. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. HUMAN RIGHTS / 17 JAN 2022 BY PARKER ASMANN EN. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Ex-AG Barr likens Mexican cartels to ISIS, demands Biden send military, Black Labrador puppy joins Border Patrol to support stressed-out agents, South Carolina woman in reputed Las Seoritas drug trafficking group found in Mexico, Mexicos former top cop convicted of taking bribes to help El Chapo cartel, killing of a high-ranking cartel member last week, The Spanish-language news outlet Univision reported that the kidnapping victims, according to a report in the newspaper Milenio. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Nuevo Leonstate due tocrimeandkidnapping. And they are dead set on making sure that . Jalisco statedue tocrimeandkidnapping. He has asked the U.S. to invest in regional economic development instead of sending helicopter gunships and other weapons to take on drug traffickers. The number of officially reported kidnappings in Mexico had slowly and steadily risen over the years but leveled off in 2018 and 2019 when there was a roughly 15% increase with 1,329 (2018) and 1,323 (2019). Reuters could not verify the total number of people who were kidnapped in the region last week. Sonora statedue tocrimeandkidnapping. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Kidnappers rationed meager food and water, prioritizing women and children, the migrants told Reuters. Leutert said the incident was one example of what migrants went through in the long journey to reach the United States. In the month of January there is an increase in kidnappings in the country States with the highest cases of kidnappings in Mexico. The State Department has released a notice warning U.S. citizens of the risk of violent crime, including possible kidnapping, in Mexico and urging them to exercise precautions if they choose to tra [Online]. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Assistance: Contact Form U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico From Mexico: +52-664-977-2000 From the United States: +1-619-692-2154 Department of State - Consular Affairs: +1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444 Alerts Fernando Reverte, president of Mapimi, a municipality which the migrants passed through after their capture and release, said the group of kidnapped migrants totaled about 1,500. The Lerdo mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Four migrants said people in police uniforms stopped the buses they were traveling in and attempted to extort them for between 200 pesos ($10) and 5,000 pesos ($255), before entire busloads were taken by armed men to nearby properties where they were held against their will. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set Top U.S. general makes unannounced visit to Syria, reviews mission, Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting, Reporting by Jose Luiz Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez and Jimenez; Jackie Botts in Oaxaca City; and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City More than 340,000 kids went missing in 2020. Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 championing a "hugs not bullets" strategy to tackle violent crime at its roots by fighting poverty and inequality with social programs, rather than with the army. Kidnapping rates vary from country to country, though not entirely in sync with the rates of other violent crimes around the world. Within the advisory, the U.S State Department mentions the state of Quintana Roo by name alongside several others, including Baja California and Jalisco, as having high rates of violence against both tourists and locals living or passing through each place. San Luis Potosi statedue tocrime and kidnapping. Germany is making slow progress in enforcing sanctions against Russian oligarchs and institutions, according to government numbers seen by Reuters on Saturday. An American mother was among the victims. National Institute for Migration/Handout via REUTERS. "I sincerely felt I had reached the end that I wasn't going to survive," said Rizo, who is now in El Paso, Texas. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. * Incidents per 100,000 people - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2018. Tony Garcia, 68, was charged with the 1981 killings of Rachel Zendejas, 20, and Lisa Gondek . The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded the lowest number of piracy incidents globally in the first nine months of 2021 for any year since 1994. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. or redistributed. Updated on: April 1, 2022 / 4:36 PM Legal Statement. According to local authorities, a confrontation between drug dealers had exploded into lethal . Migrants Tell of Mass Kidnappings in Mexico Before Crossing Into the U.S. Members of the security forces work on a rescue operation of kidnapped migrants, in Ciudad Lerdo, Durando, Mexico in this handout image released December 6, 2022. Visitors to the region are reminded that such incidents typically occur in tourist-frequented areas late at night, such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. Across the country, more than 340,000 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Civil Association Stop Kidnapping announced that the number of victims by kidnapping in Mexico increased 29.5 percent, compared to the month of December, registering 114 victims. In another incident, six migrants Reuters spoke to described being held captive for several days. Reuters, citing a statement from the attorney general's office of Guerrero, reported that the severed heads of six men were discovered on top of a Volkswagen abandoned on a busy boulevard in the town of Chilapa de Alvarez. The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning for multiple states in Mexico, alerting American visitors to the high risk of crime and kidnappings in regions of the country. Kidnappings & Missing Persons FBI Kidnappings & Missing Persons Select the images to display more information. Kidnapping figures vary, but the Haitian Human Rights Analysis and Research Center (Centre d'Analyse et de Recherche en Droits de l'Homme, CARDH) has recorded 782 kidnappings between January and October 2021, suggesting Haiti will surely surpass the previous years total of 796 kidnappings already a record number. In 2018, the number of drug-related homicides in Mexico rose to 33,341, a 15 percent increase from the . You can reach her on Twitter at @rumpfsarahc. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. The Lindbergh kidnapping inspired the creation of the Federal Kidnapping Act as well as several state-level anti-kidnapping laws. S-RMs GSI is the simplest way to get a fresh perspective on the security risks affecting you, your work, and your travel. Country Summary: Violent crime - such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery - is widespread and common in Mexico. South African police statistics show a 133 percent rise in kidnapping between 2011 and 2020, and several high-profile cases in 2021 suggest this trend will continue. The statement did not say how the release took place. Michoacan statedue tocrimeandkidnapping. Hoy presentamos nuestro informe mensual . The US government is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Gonzalezs arrest on federal drug-trafficking charges. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. To date, there have been no fatalities from monkeypox in Mexico, Lopez-Gatell said.