Mexican Authorities Arrest 22 Kidnapping Rings Operating Near Mexico City

Police arrested 22 suspected kidnappers who belong to two different gangs in Ozumba and Nezahualcoyotl, two cities in Mexico state, which surrounds the Federal District and forms part of the Mexico City metropolitan area, officials said.

The suspects were detained in two separate operations, Mexico state Public Safety Secretary Damian Canales and state Attorney General Alejandro Gomez said in a joint press conference.

Police arrested 11 suspects and rescued a female captive in Ozumba, Gomez said, adding that the victim had been abducted on Oct. 28.

Three suspects, including a woman, were arrested in a separate opreration on the Cuautla-Mexico City highway, Canales said.

The suspects told investigators they belonged to a kidnapping gang that operated in the cities of Valle de Chalco and Chimalhuacan.

Information provided by the suspects led police officers to several accomplices who had been holding a businessman captive since Nov. 4 in Nezahualcoyotl, Canales said.

The 57-year-old captive was rescued and eight suspects were arrested on kidnapping charges.

Investigators have linked the suspects to at least two other kidnappings in the Chalco Valley region and other crimes

Published in Latino Daily News