Four Americans heading to Mexico on a road trip for cosmetic surgery ended up in an aggressive drug cartel firing, leaving two killed and two captives for days in an unknown location.
“The DEA and the FBI are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks that they depend on” Garland said.
The minivan they were traveling in crashed and was fired upon shortly after crossing the border into Matamoros, with a stray bullet killing a Mexican woman nearby. The Americans were taken by the cartel, who moved them around to avoid rescue efforts.
They were eventually found in a wooden shack and rescued by Mexican authorities. The survivors, Eric Williams and Latavia Burgess were taken back to the US in Brownsville, Texas. Williams had been shot in the leg but his injury was not life-threatening.
Williams described his brother as “easygoing” and “fun-spirited.”
The two deceased victims will be turned over to US authorities following forensic work in Matamoros. The shootings highlight the ongoing violence and terror in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the Gulf drug cartel.
“He thought it would be fun,” Williams said.
When told that his brother was among the survivors Tuesday, Williams said that when they meet, “I’ll just tell him how happy I am to see him, and how glad I am that he made it through and that I love him.”
