Wife Identifies Missing Husband’s Belongings at Cartel Ranch in Mexico

Rubi Cruz identified her husband’s belongings at a suspected cartel training site, fearing he fell victim to forced recruitment. The discovery highlights the growing violence and missing persons crisis in Mexico, with over 120,000 individuals unaccounted for. Families like Cruz’s and Veronica Cruz’s continue to search for answers amidst rising disappearances linked to drug gangs and pervasive violence, reflecting a wider societal tragedy.

Rubi Cruz recently identified her husband’s belongings—specifically a wallet and T-shirt—among numerous personal items discovered at a suspected drug cartel training camp in Jalisco, Mexico. This revelation raises the fear that her husband, Fermin Hernandez, was a victim of forced recruitment. With over 120,000 people missing in Mexico, the situation highlights the brutal tactics employed by criminal organizations in the region.

Fermin Hernandez, 33, was abducted in 2021 from their home in Tala after being shot by gunmen. Cruz was presented with images by a civil society group seeking missing persons from which she recognized her husband’s belongings. “I felt a lot of pain, a lot of sadness,” expressed the devastated wife, wearing her husband’s image with a message on her shirt.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been linked to forced recruitments, utilizing fake job advertisements to lure potential victims. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch disclosed that alleged cartel recruiters confirmed that individuals unwilling to comply or who attempted to escape were often killed. These alarming tactics underline the daunting crisis of violence and disappearances that has plagued Mexico since a government crackdown on drug trafficking commenced in 2006.

Veronica Cruz, who has no relation to Rubi, also fears for her son, Robert Reyes, who disappeared a year ago under similar circumstances while seeking work in Jalisco. Although she attempted to keep him distanced from gang influences, he was drawn to the area by an employment opportunity. Following his disappearance, he had conveyed distressing messages about being forced into a violent lifestyle before alleged friends claimed he had perished in a shoot-out.

Despite governmental efforts to dismantle recruitment efforts online, platforms such as TikTok continue advertising job opportunities seemingly linked to cartels. In Jalisco alone, 12% of the 127,000 missing persons in Mexico are among young males, many of whom lack educational resources. Jorge Ramirez, a researcher, indicates that gang recruitment is often targeted at impoverished youth who are vulnerable to such offers.

Both Rubi Cruz and Veronica Cruz harbor differing hopes; Rubi maintains a strong desire to locate her husband, while Veronica’s optimism diminishes but her search for answers remains steadfast. “Maybe I’m not looking for justice, but I want to know where my son is — whatever it takes,” she stated, emphasizing her desperate need for closure. The ongoing discoveries of mass graves serve as a grim reminder of the mounting toll taken by cartel violence, with authorities consistently recovering numerous bodies from clandestine sites.

The plight of families affected by drug cartel violence in Mexico is deeply troubling, exemplified through the heart-wrenching experiences of Rubi Cruz and Veronica Cruz. Their stories highlight the aggressive tactics employed by criminal syndicates, which continue to claim countless lives and leave families searching for answers. The prevalence of forced recruitments and the alarming number of missing individuals necessitate increased attention towards combating the influence of these organizations and seeking justice for the affected families.

Original Source: www.cbsnews.com