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Former FBI agent comments on fatal Matamoros kidnapping

1 year 1 month 2 weeks ago Wednesday, March 08 2023 Mar 8, 2023 March 08, 2023 10:52 PM March 08, 2023 in News - Local

A former FBI agent who has worked more than 60 kidnapping cases in Mexico commented on the fatal Matamoros kidnapping.

Arturo Fontes said he’s worked several special missions for the FBI, and he believes the four kidnapping victims weren’t targeted.

“There was some coincidence, “Fontes said. “Maybe it was that they happened to be at the wrong place and they looked suspicious."

On Friday, four people from South Carolina were kidnapped at gunpoint shortly after crossing into Matamoros. They were found in a wooden shack outside the city Tuesday.

Two of the victims were found dead, while the other two — Eric Williams and Latavia “Tay” McGee — survived and were transferred back to the United States that same day.

Fontes said Mexican cartels are calculated, and typically don’t target Americans.

“They don't want to go after Americans because they know that it's going to create a lot of scrutiny and accountability to the cartels,” Fontes said. "The cartels are looking for people that may betray them."

Mexican troops moved into Matamoros Wednesday.

Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham proposed using U.S. troops to go after the cartels in response to the kidnapping.

RELATED: Americans found quickly, but Mexico's missing remain lost

Roberto Velasco — the head of the North American Diplomacy within Mexico's foreign relations ministry — said President Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador should come-up with a mutual agreement to fight organized crime and transnational violence and smuggling.

Fontes says the Biden Administration should consider ways to use leverage to persuade Mexican officials to cooperate in going after organized crime.

Fontes added that if those responsible for Friday’s kidnapping are arrested, it's very likely they’ll face justice in the United States.  

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