4. Kidnappings as a valuable revenue source
We are continuing our list of facts about Tijuana drug cartel violence: kidnappings and killings with the kidnappings in Mexico that are regularly used to enforce payments of drug transaction debts. Cartels would often kidnap a family member of the individual who owes them money. However, in the area controlled by Tijuana Cartel, kidnappings expanded into something else. After the Tijuana Cartel mistakenly killed Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, all eyes were on them. Because of this, the cartel’s leadership had to lay low until the situation got better. According to Nathan Jones’ comprehensive study of kidnap rates of Arellano-Felix Organization, during this period the Tijuana Cartel was profit-starved. Before 1993, almost all profits were derived from drug trafficking but, new era included kidnappings of high-profile targets if they needed extra money. Most of the kidnappings were attributed to El Teo faction, led by Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental (nicknamed “El Teo”). The victims were held for short periods meaning a lot of people could be kidnapped simultaneously. In order to protect themselves from kidnapping, business owners often agreed to pay “extortion tax”. Most of the male victims were killed while the female victims were raped.
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