More arrests made in connection with murdered 14-year-old
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The bullet-riddled, decomposing body of 14-year-old Fernando Marti was discovered in the trunk of a stolen Chevy in early August. The boy -- the son of the owner of a chain of sports shops in Mexico -- had been kidnapped in June. Despite the fact that his parents reportedly paid a hefty ransom for his safe return, the teenager became another victim of the increasing number of fatal kidnappings sweeping the nation.
Three men -- two of them policeman -- were arrested in August on suspicion of involvement with Fernando’s kidnapping. Now more arrests have been made in connection with the boy’s case, which shocked and outraged the nation.
‘Mexico City police said they have detained five suspects in the kidnapping and killing of a 14-year-old boy, a crime that prompted protests across the nation. ‘Officials said kidnappers dressed as police and set up a fake checkpoint on a busy street to snare victim Fernando Marti, revealing the complexity and sophistication of Mexico’s organized crime gangs. ‘City prosecutor Miguel Mancera said the suspected ringleader, Sergio Ortiz, posed as a well-heeled society type to move among the wealthy and collect information on potential victims. Mancera said Ortiz was a former agent of a now-disbanded city detective force,’ according to Times wire reports this morning.
According to a statement from Mexico City’s attorney general, one of those in detention is Marco Antonio Moreno Jiménez, who was one of the three original arrests made in August. The four other people are new suspects in the case.
Mexico is currently in the grip of a crime wave that prompted people of all classes and ages to hit the streets in protest in cities across the country on August 30th demanding action from the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon (see video below).
The combination of high levels of kidnapping and increasingly gruesome violence meted out by the country’s violent drug cartels has people living in fear.
The U.S. Congress approved a cash injection of $400 million in June -- in a bill called the Merida Initiative -- to help Calderon in his fight against the country’s organized crime networks and drug cartels. We’re yet to see any results.
You can read more about the kidnap and murder of Fernando Marti here.
This report from Ken Ellingwood details Mexico’s kidnapping wave and how it is affecting people of all classes.
Click here for more about Mexico, and here for more about the Merida Initiative.
For our special report on Mexico Under Siege, click here.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City