Mexican authorities investigate the possible kidnapping of 20 foreigners in San Luis Potosí

At dawn on Tuesday, the authorities of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, received a report of an incursion by armed men who forcibly took 20 foreigners who were staying at the Hotel Sol y Luna, located in the municipality of Matehuala. . 

"I sent personnel to undertake the investigation (...) to analyze and

find the whereabouts of these foreigners, who have somehow been deprived of their liberty,

" said Federico Garza, head of the San Luis Attorney General's Office. Potosí, in a statement.

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Investigative Police officers went to the hotel, where they interviewed several witnesses who assured that, during the shift change,

Three vans with armed men entered the facilities, "which caused damage to the rooms and deprived several guests of their liberty," the official information specifies. 

Unofficial sources affirm that they are 12 Haitians and 8 Venezuelans.

The events occurred in Matehuala, a town located two and a half hours from the state capital, in the semi-desert in Potosí that borders the states of Coahuila and Zacatecas, where there has been a focus of violence and insecurity due to organized crime activities.

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"We are trying to find their identity, we know that, among the things that this group took, is

the log of all the people who stay at the hotel, so we do not have much data right now,

so the investigations on this matter are in process ”, concluded Garza Herrera.

In August, the digital platform Semáforo Delictivo, a project that counts high-impact crimes in Mexico, warned that San Luis Potosí is experiencing a crime boom because in July there were 62 homicides and 864 cases of family violence.

The facade of the Hotel Sol y Luna in Matehuala, Mexico, where an armed commando took 20 foreigners, on September 14, 2021.Google Maps

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According to official data, from January to July of this year,

1,160 sexual crimes

have been

reported, which shows an increase of 200% compared to 2020.

In the area where the Hotel Sol y Luna incident took place, groups linked to various organized crime organizations such as the Northeast Cartel and the Gulf Cartel operate in the region to carry out a series of illicit activities ranging from drug trafficking and extortion. even human trafficking.

With information from the Attorney General of the State of San Luis Potosí