Mexican marines rescue 12 allegedly kidnapped in northern border state beset by drug violence

Mexican marines rescue 12 kidnapped in north

MEXICO CITY — Marines rescued 12 people who allegedly were kidnapped by an organized crime gang in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon, one of the Mexican regions grappling with drug violence, the military said Saturday.

The Department of Navy said the people had been kidnapped Aug. 3 and 6 and were found Friday in a house in the municipality of Guadalupe, near Monterrey, the state capital.

None of the abductors was arrested and their gang affiliation had not been determined, the statement said.

Mexico’s northeastern border region, including Nuevo Leon, has been hit hard by escalating violence involving drug cartels, which also have branched out into kidnapping and extortion.

The government blames much of the region’s bloodshed on a turf war that erupted with a split between the Gulf cartel and the Los Zetas gang.