Mexico is known as one of the most beautiful places on Earth and also the third-largest country in Latin America, but the land often called “El Tri” has also experienced a lot of turmoil recently from their infamous drug cartels.
One such instance began on August 18, when Jalisco resident Jaime Adolfo Martinez Miranda, 21, and his friends (Dante Cedillo Hernandez, Diego Alberto Lara Santoyo, Roberto Olmeda Cuellar and Uriel Galvan Gonzales — all ages 19-21) were looking for jobs. They saw a sign that indicated a restaurant was looking for people to work there. They applied for the job and were told to come in for interviews, which they all did. However, they didn’t know what type of job for which they applied. Nevertheless, they all start on the same date. But the first day of work turned out to unfortunately also be the last day Martinez Miranday’s family heard from him.
It was reportedly because the job that they applied for was for a notorious drug cartel in Mexico. Cartel leaders allegedly instructed Martina Miranda and his friends to kill people and take over control of the production and distribution of illegal drugs.
Cedillo Hernandez reported that the cartel threatened the group, saying, “If you [don’t], then you will be duct-taped, beaten [and] stabbed.”
When Cedillo Hernandez and his friends still refused, however, members of the cartel allegedly kidnapped the group and threatened the young men further, stating if they didn’t follow their orders then they’d have to kill each other or face executions by the cartel themselves.
People in the U.S and Mexico reaction is different. Because people in Mexico it’s normal for them . They know what jobs are like. But for people in the U.S it’s not normal for them at all. Like for example they feel if teens are working that type of job.
“This is manipulative. I don’t think it is right to lead students into believing they are applying for legitimate and legal jobs when they are not,” Columbia Heights High School (CHHS) English teacher Ms. Jacquelene Bayless said.
How does the cartel get away with these acts of senseless violence and intimidation so easily? It’s like the government doesn’t care about it at all. It’s like where a person is not just killed but completely erased, their body dissolved in acid or burnt to ash. Or he would support an argument with some of the nation’s most powerful and violent cartels in order to stop the bloodshed that has overwhelmed the country.
On the other hand, some believe the young men may be lying about applying for a job, suggesting that they should know full well that it was likely recruitment for a cartel.
“They shouldn’t [have applied] for the job because even though their parents might not have money, it’s better not to risk your life,” Jackeline Vazquez (10) said.
Many people in Mexico or other countries afflicted with violence, drug trades and corrupt governments are applying for jobs they think could bring their families financial stability, but in actuality, they are being tricked into signing up for something far more nefarious.
