COAHUILA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — The Mexican army has freed 61 people who were being held captive by a criminal organization in the northern state of Coahuila, officials said on Sunday.
Troops found the victims in a house in the town of Piedras Negras during an intelligence operation which was being carried out on Saturday. A total of 61 males were rescued while three suspected kidnappers were captured.
According to a statement from the Secretariat of National Defense, one of the victims is Honduran while the rest are from various parts of Mexico. They were allegedly forced to work in the criminal organization.
Meanwhile, troops were also able to locate six tons of marijuana during the operation.
Mexico’s northern areas are marred with organized-crime-related violence due to the heavy presence of drug cartels. In April, Mexican authorities managed to rescue 119 people in the northern state of Tamaulipas in one week.
Police first rescued 68 people, who were allegedly kidnapped by a regional drug cartel, during an operation in Reynosa municipality. Then they rescued 51 individuals, including 15 Guatemalans, 2 Hondurans, 2 Salvadorians, 6 Chinese and 26 Mexicans.
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