Gunmen Kidnap 23 People Traveling Through Mexico in Tour, 8 Still Missing

A group of gunmen kidnapped 23 victims traveling in two vans through Mexico as part of a tour. After making various demands from relatives, the gunmen released 15 victims. Eight others remain missing at the time of this publication.

The kidnappings took place this week as the group traveled from the central Mexico state of Guanajuato to the city of Saltillo, Coahuila. After leaving in two rental vans, the groups went missing early Monday morning.  However, it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that relatives filed a report with authorities after getting a series of ransom demands.

Respecto al reporte sobre la desaparición de guanajuatenses que salieron de San Felipe rumbo a Saltillo, desde el día de ayer @gobiernogto nos encontramos en coordinación con autoridades de San Luis Potosí y mantendremos una estrecha colaboración hasta que podamos localizarlos.

— Libia Dennise (@LibiaDennise) April 5, 2023

On Wednesday afternoon, the gunmen released 16 of the victims and one of the vans leaving them in the city of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi. It remains unclear if any ransoms were paid.  According to information released by the San Luis Potosi Attorney General’s Office, the victims are “healthy” and have been reunited with their families.

#ResultadosFiscalía
Fiscalía De San Luis Potosí informa sobre las fichas de búsqueda de personas localizadas en Matehuala.
Nota Completa: https://t.co/RLoU9tBkji#UnaFiscalíaMásCercanaALaGente pic.twitter.com/y2AkF2A0sG

— Fiscalía San Luis Potosí (@FiscaliaSLP) April 6, 2023

Authorities have not identified if one of the various drug cartels that operate in the region is tied to the kidnapping. In February a team of gunmen carjacked and kidnapped a well-known businessman and his son as they traveled along a highway in San Luis Potosi. During a clash between rival cartels, the businessman sustained fatal injuries and left the kidnappers, the kidnapping victim, and his son on the side of the road, Breitbart Texas reported.

This mass kidnapping comes during one of Mexico’s busiest tourist seasons, Easter week. As Breitbart Texas reported, a group of gunmen shot and killed three men earlier this week outside a hotel in Cancun, Quintana Roo, in the region’s ritzy tourist area. On that same day, a group of gunmen killed three victims and injured three others at a public beach in the tourist hotspot of Acapulco, Guerrero.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.