American among seven workers kidnapped from two call centers in Mexico

An American man is among seven workers who were kidnapped from two illegal call centers within a span of seven days in the western Mexico state of Jalisco. Arizona native Carlos Valladolid, 23, and his sister, Itzel Valladolid, 27, were reported missing by their mother, Elizabeth Hernández, after they failed to return home from their job in the municipality of Zapopan on May 22. Their coworker, Jorge Moreno, 28, also did not return home the same day.

Multiple Mexican news outlets reported that Carlos Valladolid had recently moved to Jalisco and was living with his sister and mother. El Universal newspaper reported Monday that the call centers could be linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The FBI revealed in March that the criminal group had scammed about 600 individuals out of $39.6 million through fraudulently selling or renting their time shares in 2022. The seven workers had been employed by the call center for two or three months, according to Jalisco State Attorney General, Luis Méndez. Méndez’s office revealed that the call centers could be among the 19 Mexico-based companies that were placed under investigation by the United States Department of Treasury.

In April, Jalisco New Generation Cartel high-ranking leader, Eduardo Pardo, and six other cartel members were sanctioned for their alleged role in the scheme. Over the weekend, agents assigned to the Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office canvassed the two call centers, which are just about a mile away from each other, and found hard drives; USB sticks; computers, documents related to the sale and rental of time shares; and blackboards that contained the names of foreign customers, sales goals and membership information. Authorities also discovered a cloth with a red stain that is being analyzed. The other missing workers were identified as Mayra Velázquez (pictured), 29, who has not been seen since reporting to work at the call center May 26. She had been investigated for fraud in 2016.

Arturo Robles, 30, was reported missing by his family May 24. Jesús Salazar (pictured), 37, traveled to the call center the same day for a job interview and never made it back home. State Attorney General’s Office agents found Robles’ car parked outside the center. It has since been turned over to his family. Carlos García, 31, was last seen when he left his home to work May 20. Authorities said the Valladolid siblings, Robles, García and Moreno all were employed at a call center located in the Zapopan neighborhood of Jardines Vallarta. Salazar’s interview was scheduled at the same location. ‘We need them back now, we are very hurt,’ Hernández said of her missing son and daughter. ‘We really need the support of all the people who know something and that the information is true.’

Velázquez worked at a call center based out of the nearby neighborhood of La Estancia. Robles’ sister, Beatriz Robles, told El País newspaper that the Mexican government was not doing enough to find her brother and his coworkers. She claimed she’s been met with responses of ‘we’re too busy’ or ‘we’re overwhelmed’ or ‘you have to wait’ each time they have visited the prosecutor’s office for information. She completely understands the attention the latest disappearance have been given because the state of Jalisco accounts for 14,978 of the 110,742 people who have been reported missing in Mexico since 1962. ‘And the truth is that it is difficult not to understand it, because you arrive there and the walls of the Attorney General’s Office are covered with missing persons. You hear about these things on the news,’ Beatriz Robles said. ‘We live in an insecure country, you know these things happen, but you never imagine that it could happen to you. And this is like fighting a monster that keeps getting bigger and you can’t stop it. The government does nothing. It’s hard, but we keep hoping to find him dead or alive.’ Pictured: Itzel Valladolid. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12139785/American-23-seven-workers-kidnapped-two-cartel-linked-call-centers-Mexico.html?ito=msngallery

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