FIVE MEXICAN MUSICIANS MURDERED BY ALLEGED CARTEL MEMBERS
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By Oduola F.A.
Suspected drug traffickers murdered five Mexican band members who went missing over the weekend after being hired to perform a concert in a crime-wracked northeastern city, authorities said Thursday.
Nine alleged drug cartel members were arrested on suspicion of killing the musicians, public prosecutor Irving Barrios told a news conference.
The announcement came hours after officials said five bodies had been found in the search for the men, who were members of a local band called Fugitivo.
Relatives had reported receiving ransom demands for the musicians, aged between 20 and 40 years old, who were last seen on Sunday in Reynosa, in Tamaulipas state, near the US border.
The musicians were hired to put on a concert but arrived to find that it was a vacant lot, according to family members who had held a protest urging the authorities to act.
Investigators used video surveillance footage and cellphone tracking to establish the musicians’ movements, Barrios said.
They are believed to have been kidnapped on Sunday night while traveling in a vehicle to a private event, he said.
“Law enforcement arrested nine individuals considered likely responsible for the events. They are known to be members of a criminal cell of the Gulf Cartel,” Barrios added.
Nine firearms and two vehicles were seized, he said.
Tamaulipas is considered one of Mexico’s most dangerous states due to the presence of gang members involved in drug and migrant trafficking, as well as other crimes including extortion.
Criminal violence has claimed more than 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left around 120,000 people missing.
Mexican musicians have previously been targeted by criminal groups that pay them to compose and perform songs that glorify the exploits of their leaders.
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