A Mexican journalist was abducted by armed men in the state of Veracruz in Mexico on Monday. 

According to Borderland Beat, Ricardo Villanueva, a reporter for the newspaper Presente Veracruz, was at a local mechanic's shop in the Lazaro Cardenas neighborhood in Poza Rica municipality, where his motorcycle was being repaired when sevearmed men arrived and abducted him.

Authorities have already launched a search operation to find where these armed men took the 27-year-old Mexican journalist.

An air and ground operation is being conducted to find Villanueva. The search is headed by state authorities, led by the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists (CEAPP).

Authorities have activated a code red after the Mexican journalist was abducted.

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Mexican Journalist Reported About a Crime in Veracruz Minutes Before Being Abducted

A few minutes before he was kidnapped, Ricardo Villanueva reported about an arrest and seizure of stolen fuel in the La Varita neighborhood in Poza Rica municipality.

Reports indicated that the armed men who kidnapped the Mexican journalist were traveling in three vehicles - a white van, a black Suburban, and a gray Audi. 

The armed men reportedly introduced themselves as "ministerial police" before taking Villanueva away. Reports showed that he tried recording the matter just before he went missing.

According to Alianza de Medios, the newspaper where Villanueva worked specializes in security-related coverage in northern Veracruz.

This is not the first time the newspaper recorded attacks against its reporters. However, there have been incidents in which two of its reporters were arrested for kidnapping.

In August 2015, its offices in Poza Rica were shot at, and one of its vehicles was burned.

In November 2020, another vehicle belonging to the publication was shot at in the Prensa Nacional neighborhood in front of a reporter's home. The shooters then fled the scene on motorcycles.

Violence in Veracruz, Mexico

Crime numbers in Veracruz for January 2023 have indicated that crime in the state is not as bad as in the other states in Mexico.  The state recorded 78 homicides, one kidnapping, and seven femicides.

There were also 70 cases of extortion, 211 cases related to drug dealing, 472 vehicle robberies, 194 house robberies, 294 business robberies, 472 injuries, 25 cases of rape, and 976 cases of family violence, according to Infobae.

So far, Veracruz has around 7,224 state police, 6,282 municipal, and 666 naval personnel to combat crimes. The state also has 6,800 troops from the Navy, 6,382 members of the Army and Air Force, as well as around 4,283 members of the National Guard.

As for cartel-related violence, the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has already started its operations in Veracruz and is known for committing some of the most violent acts in the state.

As for those who abducted the journalist, Mexican authorities are still trying to find out who kidnapped him and where they took him.

READ MORE: 15th Mexican Journalist Killed

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Rick Martin

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