Pubdate: Sun, 13 Feb 2005
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2005 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact:  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Mary Jordan, The Washington Post
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico

AMERICAN LIVES BECOME BARTER

Drug Cartels Blamed In Rash Of Abductions

NUEVO LAREDO - Brenda Cisneros, 23, kissed her father goodbye after
dinner in Laredo, Texas, just after 11 p.m. on Sept. 17. It was her
birthday, and she was headed with a friend, Yvette Martinez, for a
late-night concert across the border. The two drove across the
international bridge into this sprawling town, famous for dancing and
drinking spots. They never returned home.

Jerry Contreras, 17, left San Antonio one day last May and drove
across the border into Piedras Negras to attend a baby shower. There,
witnesses said, he became involved in a minor accident with a gold
SUV, whose enraged driver rammed Contreras' Ford Escort, followed him
to the party and threatened him. Contreras ran and hid in a grocery
store, but several armed men dragged him out. He has not been seen
since.

Cisneros, Martinez and Contreras are now listed among the dramatically
increased number of U.S. citizens who have recently been reported
missing or kidnapped along the border, especially around Nuevo Laredo.
Last month, U.S. consular officials in Nuevo Laredo issued a warning
to the thousands of Americans who cross the bridge each week,
including Mexican-Americans visiting relatives or shopping and
tourists on short sightseeing trips.

"U.S. citizens are urged to be especially aware of safety and security
concerns when traveling through or visiting in Nuevo Laredo," it said.
The message said 21 U.S. citizens had been kidnapped or disappeared
between August and December, with nine later released, two found dead
and 10 still missing. It also mentioned the "alarming rate" of
kidnappings across Mexico, including "express" abductions for quick-
cash ransoms.

One U.S. official said that while some of the missing apparently were
innocent victims, more were probably involved with drug traffickers.
In either case, "no one deserves to be kidnapped, tortured or killed,"
said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the
international sensitivity of the issue.

Law enforcement officials said some disappearances may be related to a
war among Mexican drug cartels vying for control of the crossing. It
is the busiest commercial gateway on the 2,000-mile border, and
millions of dollars' worth of marijuana, cocaine and heroin are
smuggled north by truck and train among cargoes of legitimate goods.

Michael Yoder, the U.S. consul in Nuevo Laredo, said one Mexican drug
gang called the Zetas, composed of former military commandos who
deserted from the Mexican army, has reportedly gone into the business
of kidnapping for ransom, and an FBI official said he believed that
drug gangs sometimes used kidnappings to raise money after a business
setback such as a major drug bust.

In mid-January, Yoder said that 27 U.S. citizens have been reported
kidnapped or vanished in the Nuevo Laredo area since August, 15 of
whom are still missing. He declined to release details, but news media
reported that one victim was found shot in the back of the head,
execution-style.

The FBI official said some of those returned alive had been held
captive for days or even months, after their abductors demanded
ransoms as high as $100,000.

The families of Cisneros and Martinez recently created a Web site
(www.laredosmissing.com) to draw more attention to the
kidnappings.

"We are extremely upset about what has happened," said Yoder, who
called the spike in disappearances "far out of the normal range of
what can be expected along the border." In previous years, he said,
three or four cases would be reported, on average.

Twice last year, the Mexican government sent soldiers to patrol the
streets of Nuevo Laredo. Traffickers are armed with AK-47 assault
rifles, grenade launchers and bazookas, outgunning and intimidating
police, and 11 officers have been killed since 2002.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin