Those traveling to Mexico soon, might want to consider staying in the U.S. or pick another place to go to. The U.S. State Department has issued a new travel warning for Americans living in Mexico and for those traveling there due to expected violence.
After recent arrests of high-ranking members of Los Zetas drug cartel in the United States, there is violent retaliation expected towards Americans in the country.
On Tuesday, the FBI raided the Balch Springs, Texas home of Jose Treviño Morales and his wife Zulema. Jose is the older brother of Miguel Treviño Morales, the top enforcer for Los Zetas, considered to be the most violent of Mexico's drug trafficking organizations. Miguel is on the run in Mexico.
WFAA-TV reported that Jose Treviño Morales was arrested by U.S. authorities for operating a successful horse racing and breeding business that laundered billions of dollars of illegal drug money. Federal agents have now shut the business down.
In addition to Treviño Morales, several of his associates were arrested in a federally operated raids of Treviño Morales' Oklahoma ranch and on the Tremor Enterprises stables in Ruidoso, New Mexico, Latino Fox News reported.
Due to the arrests, Americans living in Mexico and American tourists are being warned.
"These arrests could result in some form of retaliation and/or anti-American violence. Given the history and resources of this violent TCO (transnational criminal organization), the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to maintain a low profile and a heightened sense of awareness," the security message says.
The Zetas have been known to skin people alive, pin people down, and light them on fire. No target is safe as their crimes have been inflicted on men, women and children, WFAA-TV News reported.
The Zetas are based in Nuevo Laredo, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, just across the border from Laredo, Texas. There has been an ongoing warning to travelers about visiting Tamaulipas. On Tuesday, after the Zetas arrests, the U.S. State Department noted that it "continues to advise U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas."
Those planning to travel near the area should make other plans or postpone their trip as a precaution. Americans traveling anywhere in Mexico should maintain a low profile.
Millions of Americans visit Mexico each year, especially during spring breaks. In 2010, of the 5.7 million Americans who traveled to the country, 120 were murdered, according to the Lonely Planet.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
