Cartel Recruitment At Heart Of Mexico's Missing Persons Crisis

Source: International Business Times

Veronica Cruz holds a portrait of her missing son Robert Reyes AFP When Rubi Cruz recognized her husband's belongings among personal items found at a suspected Mexican drug cartel training camp, she feared the worst -- that he had become a victim of forced recruitment. The discovery of bones, shoes and clothing at a ranch in the western state of Jalisco has shone a spotlight on the ruthless tactics of violent criminal groups in a country where more than 120,000 people are missing. Cruz's husband Fermin Hernandez, then 33, was kidnapped in 2021 from his home in the town of Tala near the Izaguirre ranch by gunmen who shot him in the leg.