Authorities in Mexico have confirmed the brutal killing of five members of a local band, Fugitivo, who went missing over the weekend after being hired for a performance in Reynosa, a violence-plagued city in northeastern Tamaulipas state near the U.S. border.
According to public prosecutor Irving Barrios, nine individuals linked to the Gulf Cartel have been arrested in connection with the killings. Their arrests followed the discovery of five bodies earlier Thursday, as part of the ongoing investigation.
Family members reported receiving ransom demands after the band members—aged between 20 and 40—vanished on Sunday. They were last known to be en route to a private concert, only to arrive at a vacant lot. Surveillance footage and cellphone data helped authorities trace their last movements.
“These individuals are believed to have been abducted on Sunday night,” Barrios said during a press briefing. He also confirmed that nine firearms and two vehicles were seized during the arrests.
Tamaulipas is one of Mexico’s most dangerous regions, with organized criminal groups heavily involved in drug and migrant trafficking, extortion, and other violent crimes.
More than 480,000 lives have been lost to criminal violence in Mexico since 2006, and around 120,000 people remain missing. Mexican musicians are frequently targeted by gangs, sometimes pressured to create songs that praise cartel leaders.
