Friday, May 29, 2009

Who Is Getting Kidnapped in Juarez?

From Norte: There have been two to three kidnappings per day in Juarez since the beginning of the year, according to the Citizens Institute on Insecurity. This probably understates the real number, since many families never report a kidnapping incident.

Suppliers have been hit especially hard, as well as owners of construction firms, used car dealers, maquila managers, package store owners, and other businessmen.

Miguel Galindo Figueroa, president of the board of directors of the Supply Center, told Norte the owners of supply stores have suffered an average of one kidnapping per week

Yesterday the body of a man kidnapped two days earlier by hooded men on Plutarco Elias Calles was found with bullet wounds to the head and other signs of violence. Apparently the kidnappers had established contact with family member, who paid the requested ransom, but he was killed anyway.

On may 14 a kidnap victim managed to escape from the safe house where he was held, by jumping from a second story window. Kidnappers had amputated one of his thumbs which they sent to his family.

The manager of Lear Corporation was rescued from a safe house earlier this year. On April 29 the owner of a junkyard was killed when he resisted efforts by kidnappers to take him at his place of business. On May 12 the body of Jorge Nicolás Fonseca was found dead, shot in the back; he had been kidnapped three days earlier from his business. The family paid a large ransom and were told he would be found safe at the location where his body was found.

The business community is growing increasingly frustrated by the apparent inability of police forces to crack these rings of kidnappers. They have been requesting the formation of a joint, interagency anti-kidnapping team combining local, state, and federal agents with intelligence capabilities as well as adequate law enforcement training.

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