Specifically, the individuals are involved in the sale, trafficking, and consumption of illicit substances, according to North Carolina court records.
At least three of the four Americans kidnapped in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, would have criminal records related to crimes against health, according to court records.
In addition, federal government sources indicated that it would not be the first time that individuals crossed the border for alleged drug-related issues. The men who died, Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard, were linked to drug manufacturing and trade, carrying a weapon, and violent robbery, according to records seen by Reuters on March 9.
For her part, Latavia Tay McGee, a woman who was not injured in the attack, has a history of manufacturing and trafficking drugs, threatening an official, and stealing property, as reported by the El Universal news outlet. It should be noted that Eric Williams is the only one of them who does not have a criminal record.
A video showed that the victims were deposited in the back of a white van (Photo: screenshot/Twitter/@CODIGO_NEGROMX)
On March 7, the Mexican authorities announced from the National Palace that the victims had been located in the El Tecolote ejido, located several kilometers from where the events occurred: two had died and two were alive.
A day later, the criminal records of the Americans came to light who, according to the first versions, came to Mexico for a woman to undergo cosmetic surgery on the abdomen at a clinic in Matamoros.
Supposedly, the American citizens were mistaken for Haitian criminals, with whom members of an armed wing of the Gulf Cartel have conflicts over territory.
The four individuals were attacked and kidnapped in Tamaulipas (Photo: Special)
Latavia McGee, Eric Williams, Zindell Brown, and Shaeed Woodard had traveled to Matamoros in a white van when they were suddenly intercepted by armed men, alleged hit men from Los Escorpiones, a group linked to the Gulf Cartel After the violent events, Brown and Woodard passed away
Latavia McGee had been arrested multiple times in recent years. The last one occurred on January 20, 2022, in relation to the crime of illegal conduct towards a minor, when her eight-year-old daughter tested positive for amphetamine use.
Shaeed Woodard would have been arrested for manufacturing and possession of drugs and had also pleaded guilty to the crimes in a US Court. Finally, Zindell Brown had been charged with possession of marijuana or hashish, in addition, he had also been charged with first-degree domestic violence in July 2019.
Two of the four individuals were found lifeless in the El Tecolote ejido (Photo: Special)
Some netizens have expressed surprise at learning that three of the four people had a record for crimes against health because it had come out that they were mistaken for “Haitian drug traffickers.”
The four were located on March 7 in a safe house in El Tecolote, on the road to the beach, approximately 10 kilometers from where they were deprived of their liberty in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
“So they went to Tamaulipas, to perform surgeries… Were they mules? Traffickers?”; “What is said is that they were supplying fentanyl and crystal to various points in the city, they took the soup out of the points (there is a video) their names came out they were told not to do it anymore and it was worth it and the rest We already know (sic)”, some users expressed their suspicions.
One of the lines of investigation is that it was not a direct attack but that the four were “confused” (Photo: Special)
The Tamaulipas State Attorney General’s Office (FGJE) indicated that the bodies of the deceased Americans remain in the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo) of Matamoros, waiting to be repatriated in accordance with the law, while the two survivors are already in the United States.
This case has generated multiple comments, from suspicions due to an alleged set-up to complaints against the authorities for not putting the same effort into resolving the thousands of cases of missing Mexican men and women, accusing them of paying more attention when the victims are foreigners.
The Searching Mothers is one of the groups that has shown their annoyance. Although they celebrate that they have located the Americans, they regret that not all cases are investigated with the same importance.
Source: INFOBAE
