Mexican authorities said Tuesday they are investigating whether the son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was among a group kidnapped from a bar in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
Advertisement
Mexican authorities said that five armed men arrived in SUVs and stormed into La Leche, next to the Friendly Vallarta Beach Resort and Spa, around 1 a.m. local time.
Authorities did not immediately clarify how many people were taken, but local media reported as many as 16 people were seized, according to Reuters.
“The possibility exists”, Jalisco state prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer told Radio Formula.
Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, is one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations.
Almaguer said the abduction was the work of a “criminal group” that operates in the area.
He added that a preliminary indication indicated that everyone involved – the kidnappers and their captives – were members of criminal organizations.
It has battled the powerful Sinaloa cartel for supremacy in other parts of the country, such as Baja California Sur.
All of the men abducted were identified as being from western states of Jalisco and Sinatra, Nayarit. Five cars were abandoned at the restauant but it’s not clear yet if the vehicles belonged to the victims.
Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board announced in a statement that it feels deep regret about what it referred to as an “isolated” incident. He was also surprised that the cartel members were taken without a single gun shot.
“It’s a bit surprising that in effect they were drug traffickers but didn’t have any security”, Hope said.
Advertisement
State officials are expected to speak later in the afternoon, a Jalisco government spokesman said via Twitter. As an immediate safety measure, security has been reinforced in Puerto Vallarta to ensure that residents as well as tourists can continue with their normal activities.
