Mexico Drug Cartel Violence: Congressman Gabriel Gomez Likely Murdered By Cartel
Mexican congressman Gabriel Gomez, whose remains were found on Tuesday along with those of an aide, was likely killed by a drug cartel.
Gomez and his aide, Heriberto Nunez, were kidnapped Monday in Guadalajara, Mexico and their remains were found Tuesday in a burned-out sport utility vehicle belonging to Gomez, according to a report from Reuters.
Gomez is the highest-profile politician to be murdered in Mexico in recent years. The cartels in Mexico used to murder politicians more regularly when they had more power. The last politician killed was Rodolfo Torre, a gubernatorial candidate, who was killed in 2010.
Mexican authorities have not disclosed many details about the murder, not even giving a motive. Gomez's car was too badly burned for investigators to determine how they were killed, Yahoo News reported.
Arturo Nahle, attorney general of the Zacatecas state where Gomez's body was discovered, said that the Jalisco New Generation likely is responsible for the killing, as it matches previous work from the group.
The New Generation cartel is a newer gang that has taken territory from older cartels, according to news reports.
"This is a classic organized crime execution," said Nahle."You only have to see the video, the weapons they're carrying, the number of people involved in the kidnapping."
Photos taken by a security camera on the side of the road shows men taking control of Gomez's car after boxing it in on a highway on the outskirts of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state.
Nahle also said that since the kidnappers didn't demand a ransom from the men's families for their return, it indicates a gang execution.
Violence from the drug cartels have killed about 90,000 people since 2006, when former Mexican President Felipe Calderon deployed the army to combat the cartels.
Local politicians have sometimes been killed by the cartels over the years, but the murder of a federal official, like Gomez, is rare. Jalisco struggles with cartel violence and the state's tourism minister was killed in 2013.
Under President Enrique Pena Nieto, the murder rate in Mexico is down, but other gang crimes, like kidnappings and extortion, have increased.
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