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on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Tuesday, March 7, 2023

What We Know about the Kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 


New details about the Americans' trip to Mexico and the cartel context surrounding their kidnapping by Gulf Cartel members in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.


This is a continuation of yesterday’s story covering the kidnapping, which you can read here.


Please see this story which covers the announcement that two were found dead and two were found alive.



Details about the Four Americans


As covered at the end of yesterday’s live thread, we now know the identities of the four Americans who were kidnapped in Matamoros. Their names are:



  • Latavia Washington McGee

Grew up in Lake City, South Carolina,  Currently lives in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina


  • Shaeed Woodard
    Grew up in Lake City, South Carolina

  • Eric James Williams
    [also identified by some outlets as Eric Wise]

  • Zindell Brown
    28 years old 

The relatives of the victims told news outlets that Latavia Washington was traveling down to Mexico for a cosmetic surgery procedure, which was presumably cheaper outside of the US.




Latavia’s cousin, Shaheed, and two friends, Eric and Zindell, accompanied her on the road trip to Mexico. 


According to ABC15 News, Zindell called his mother after the group set out, while they were traveling through Mississippi. Zindell told her that he was going to support one of his friends who was having a surgical procedure in Mexico. 


Zindell then contacted his sister, Zalayna Grant. She later described it, saying: 


“When I texted him I said, 'Where you at?' And I was like 'What you doing?' And he said, 'Riding. I’m in Mississippi.' And I called because I needed to see this for sure. So, we video-chatted with each other. He was talking to me. He talked to my baby.”


“And he said 'we are about to get back on the road. I will talk to you later.' And I said 'OK, just let me know your destinations.' Because after he said they were going to Mexico, I was just like 'be careful, be careful,' and then when I hung up with him, I sent him some text messages. You know, letting him know to be careful.”


“I said, 'If y’all make it into Mexico. Just be very careful. Be aware of your surroundings. If you run into any cartel roadblocks or anything. Don’t fight. Don’t resist whatever they tell you to do, all of you all do it. Because at least you have a chance if you do what they ask you to do,'"


Based on this quote, it seems that at least some of the four Americans were aware of the dangerous cartel roadblocks which are common near the Tamaulipas-US border. This may give insight as to why Latavia asked the three men to accompany her on the trip, potentially viewing them as protection in a region which regularly preys on Americans. 



On Friday, March 3, 2023, the four Americans drove into the Mexican city of Matamoros in their white minivan with North Carolina license plates. The FBI San Antonio Division office stated that their vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico.



Just how long is “shortly after”? Well, the white minivan crashed into another vehicle at Primera Street and Lauro Villar Avenue. This is an approximately 6 minute drive away from the Matamoros International bridge according to Google Maps.


Latavia’s mother told ABC15 News that she was contacted, via telephone, by medical staff after her daughter didn’t arrive for her cosmetic surgery procedure.




The Cartel Group in Matamoros


The dominant cartel group in the city of Matamoros is the Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo, CDG). 


The Gulf Cartel is split into various factions and the faction that controls the city is known as the Matamoros faction. This faction is believed to be in an alliance with the Rio Bravo faction, the Sur faction, the Centro faction and the Los Zetas splinter group called Zetas Vieja Escuela (or Zetas New School).



The CDG Matamoros faction is believed to control the municipalities of the aforementioned city, as well as nearby Valle Hermoso. Their ally factions tend to control the more eastern regions in the state of Tamaulipas. 



It's worth noting that there was recently a division within the Matamoros faction, where those loyal to the old bosses and their family (the Cárdenas Guillén) became known as Los Ciclones. Meanwhile there is another subfaction within the group, known as Espartanos, who followed the leadership of El Contador and El Vaquero - who sought to break away from the old family leadership. 


Both Contador and Vaquero, however, were arrested in recent years. How the faction currently functions and how much the previous split still lingers within the group dynamics is unclear.


A social media post in which a cartel group allegedly claimed responsibility for the abduction made its rounds shortly after the attack happened. In the post, the CDG Matamoros subgroup Grupo Esporciones reportedly claims they were behind the kidnapping. 




The current iteration of Grupo Escorpiones (the original version worked under Tony Tormenta but ceased to exist after his 2010 death) is believed to have emerged in 2015. Whether it is an armed wing or a rebranding of Los Ciclones is debated online, with no clear answer.



The social media post’s claim about CDG Matamoros - Grupo Escorpiones being involved seems highly plausible. Just last month the group released a large-scale interrogation video in which a number of alleged crystal meth dealers were questioned while surrounded by hitmen. The release of this video speaks to the current level of criminal impunity they believe they possess within Matamoros and speaks to the unabashed manner in which they operate within the city.




CDG was Attempting to Target Haitians

The aforementioned social media post also alleges that the 4 American victims were Haitian migrants that were “armed and assaulting” and had shot the innocent female bystander. Grupo Escorpion goes on to claim that they will not allow migrants to “continue robbing people.” 


The American victims were not, in fact, Haitian migrants living in Matamoros but they may have been mistaken for them due to an overall lack of black American or Mexican citizens in the city.



In Matamoros, there are large tent encampments in which foreign migrants from places like Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba live as they await the ending of the US’s Title 42 border restriction. 



If the social media message is authentic, then it's likely that the Americans were shot at due to a case of mistaken identity. If the social media message is not authentic, it still leaves open the possibility that the Americans were targeted for other reasons.


American news organization CNN reported that “investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, the official said, adding investigators have not identified any concerning criminal history on the part of the Americans.”



It's interesting to note that even well respected newspapers like Reforma wrote articles (which can be viewed without a paywall here) which claimed the American victims were Haitian migrants in the headline, citing “sources close to the case”. 



The article goes on to say “the informants pointed out that videos from security cameras suggest that, due to their physical characteristics, two of the deceased and the injured woman are from the Caribbean country.”


This seems to speak to the general commonality of mislabeling black people as "Haitian immigrants" within Matamoros.




Previous Cases and Their Outcomes


So, what's likely to happen to the surviving American victims who were kidnapped by the CDG gunmen. There are three major possibilities. Either they are (1) released alive, (2) they are killed and their remains found, or (3) they are killed and their remains are disposed of in a way that they are unlikely to be found. 


Below is a brief overview of what happened in the past when Americans were taken in high profile abductions like this.














Sources: Reforma, CNN, El Universal, La Jornada, Heraldo de México, Tamaulipas Código Rojo, El Guzman Post 1, Post 2, KRGV, US Embassy in Mexico, El Occidental, LatinUS, El Imparcial, Associated Press, BBC, CSPAN, San Diego Union Tribune


39 comments:

  1. Hearst thanks for clarifying things, that people, start accessing as something else. Someone said she, went there for a Brazilian buttocks surgery, The President of Mexico, yesterday said, it was 4 Americans to buy medicine.
    With more facts you got, look how quick the cartel acted in kidnapping them, killing 2 of the 4, had they got away and more time passed, those 4 would have been disappeared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Drug Runners: Here is the “reported” victim’s husband. https://wpde.com/news/local/myrtle-beach-man-guilty-drug-charges-methamphetamines-solicitor-kaitlin-cook-jimmy-richardson-termario-mcgee-1-31-2023

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  2. That looks like one of those tricky intersections they have in mexico and for foreigners it can be even more confusing, especially African Americans who are known to be bad drivers sorry I had to add that not to be mean but its true: having said all that my theory is that they crashed into some cartel bosses family member, things probably got heated and the cartels came into to take them away. Or they were going to pick up some shipment and tried to rob the plug

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob the plug and then make the jump to the USA? Sounds incredibly stupid

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    2. Another moron jumping to conclusions.

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  3. “Latavia asked the three men to accompany her on the trip, viewing them as protection “…. Yeah you’re gang set didn’t much

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  4. Exactly they thought they had immunity like in the u.s

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    Replies
    1. Inmumidad de que?....es pregunta

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  5. My best guess is that they were lured to Mexico with a large quantity of cash to be robbed and the robbers were lying in wait for them to enter Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a scenario. Maybe they were offered something they couldn't refuse and they took money to pay the offer out there. A good snare. Or it could be that they were really involved heavily and a rival group intervened to take out their enemies' partners

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    2. Drug Runners https://wpde.com/news/local/myrtle-beach-man-guilty-drug-charges-methamphetamines-solicitor-kaitlin-cook-jimmy-richardson-termario-mcgee-1-31-2023

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    3. @11:52 — they were fired upon as soon as they crossed the border…

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  6. What a bunch of idiots going to Mexico for plastic surgery and using Carolina plates so no wonder both governments and the media are making a big stink because they are black but what about all the other missing persons who is speaking for them it's like if some Mexicans would drive into Harlem same thing would happen to them but that's what they say it was plastic surgery probably came to pick up a load.why else go there border town people don't even cross

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly .The media and politicians pushing the blak victim narrative .

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    2. Have you even been to Harlem??

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    3. Lol, almost 25% of harlem is hispanic. What a stupid take.

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    4. They are making a big stink because Mexico and the U.S is about to host the world cup soon and these kind of incidents can't be happening. Bad international headlines... Mexico keeps it up they will cut them out of the World cup hosting privileges. For the fact that they can't control shit like this. Mencho has so much power, why does he Mexico on lock like previous Kingpins

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  7. Anyone here going to mention racism or immigration shit? Quick to do it when its white involved?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This has nothing to do with racism nor that stupid immigration scam bs this will continue to happen there’s nothing that the u.s can do to Mexico to hurt it more, Mexico has been in the fire for years n cartels control everything over here

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    2. 10:50 it's regarding race, it's regarding the lives of 4 US citizens in a foreign country.

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  8. How did this turn into a discussion about race??? They were 4 American citizens.... That's it! Smh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately some Mexicans are just racist as fuck. Enough so that they can make the KKK blush. And if you pay attention you'll notice that those cowards are also talking all that shit anonymously.

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    2. 11:38 sad to say but the majority of America is racist. That's what people learn when they come from other countries

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    3. The majority of Americans are not racist. Yes, racists exist but they don't represent America. That's what the power structure wants people to believe. Divide and conquer.
      United we stand, divided we fall.

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    4. Sol prendido the only people that have been racist to me were blacks

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    5. If you think Americans aren’t racist you’re either white or delusional. Or both.

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  9. I forget but then when stories like this come out I am reminded that BB readers have no black people in their phone contacts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 11:37:
      Half the people in my phone contacts are black.

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    2. Your a clown, have you seen how racist the world is, stay in your little box coward chump

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  10. Why is the Mexican media covering this story and making it really viral but when mexican americans get killed in Tamaulipas cities they dont make a big deal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. sure, they went to mexico just for a surgery https://wpde.com/news/local/lake-city-mother-charged-with-unlawful-neglect-after-four-children-test-positive-for-drugs

    ReplyDelete
  12. unfortunately due to the color of their skin nothing will be done about it

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    Replies
    1. Nothing happens when Hispanic Americans or Mexican citizens are killed either. What’s your point? It’s Mexico, corrupt as fuck

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  13. HEARST just a question. Are both the Hidalgo and Sur faction supposed to have the same sky blue color to mark their territory on the map?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment. I just uploaded a revised version with more distinct colors. :)

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  14. Just an example of Mexico's tough immigration policy. Come here for medication, leave for cremation.

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  15. Fact is you don’t go into MATAMOROS unless you are from there. NOBODY gets plastic surgery there, but, that is a good cover story to carry a lot of cash. Glad two lived to tell about it, now, telling the truth about it will be a different story.

    ReplyDelete

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