Report: Mexican Cartel Apologizes for Kidnapping of 4 Americans, Turns Over Men Who Were Responsible

Apparently, a Mexican cartel is to blame for the recent abduction of four Americans, which ended in two deaths.

The Associated Press reports that a letter allegedly from the Scorpions faction of the Gulf cartel placed the responsibility on its own members and gave them up to authorities. The letter purportedly contained an apology for the kidnapping and for the Mexican woman who was fatally shot while the Americans were being abducted.

“We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible in the events, who at all times acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline,” the letter said. According to the cartel, those involved in the kidnapping were acting on their own accord and defying cartel rules.

Both the letter and a photo of the five men who were reportedly involved in the abduction—who were shown to be laying face down on the ground and tied up—were given to AP by an anonymous source from Tamaulipas state law enforcement. It’s unclear if local authorities have anyone in custody. But it seems that police found five men bound in those same positions in a vehicle, with the letter.

The cousin of one of the victims, Eric Williams, who was injured in the kidnapping, is happy that his relative is home but doesn’t think the apology is enough. “It ain’t gonna change nothing about the suffering that we went through,” Jerry Wallace told AP.

The Americans arrived in Mexico last Friday by car because one of them was set to have tummy tuck. Later that day, someone opened fire on their vehicle and abducted them. Two of the Americans were found dead, one was injured, and one was unharmed.