Mexico Disappearances Surge 200% Amidst Deep Corruption and Cartel Control
This article highlights the harrowing reality of Ángel Montenegro’s disappearance, a case that exemplifies Mexico’s escalating crisis of missing persons, with over 130,000 individuals unaccounted for. Disappearances have surged dramatically in the last decade, driven by criminal groups expanding their territorial control and diversifying into illicit activities beyond drug trafficking, often through forced recruitment and the violent elimination of rivals. These organizations actively conceal their violence by making bodies disappear through various brutal methods, thereby operating “under the radar” of authorities. The government’s response has been criticized as insufficient and inadequately funded, leading families like Montenegro’s mother to undertake dangerous, self-led searches for their loved ones amidst widespread institutional neglect and a high rate of unsolved crimes.
John Q. Hosedrinker