Mexican Teen Assassin Suspected Of Murdering 50 People
A Mexican teenager has allegedly murdered over 50 people while working for one of the country’s criminal organizations, Reuters reports. Authorities are currently investigating Francisco Miguel N., the 16-year-old who claims to have performed extensive assassin work for a gang known as Los Mazatlecos, a group with connections to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel.
The teen, who goes by the nickname “El Nino,” was arrested by police for carrying a loaded weapon and some drugs. Before long, Francisco had spilled the beans on his dirty little hobby, explaining to authorities that he was responsible for assassinating over 50 people. According to the boy, his bosses gave him a handgun and an AK-47 in order to accomplish his bullet-riddled missions.
Drug wars in Mexico have claimed the lives of thousands over the years, including many children. As the problem worsened, kids began joining up with various gangs, running drugs and performing various tasks given to them by their superiors. “El Nino,” for example, has admitted to killing police officers, musicians, and farmers, just to name a few.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, a lot of the blame for Mexico’s recent turmoil belongs to President Calderon whose policies have reportedly strengthened the gangs and cartels instead of cracking down on them.
“A bit more than five years after Calderon ordered the militarization of the country, the criminal networks of five cartels — the Zetas, the Familia Michoacana, and the Sinaloa, Juarez, and Gulf Cartels — now dominate more than half of the national territory. This expansion has occurred despite the blows these organizations have suffered through arrests or deaths of their leaders,” war chronicler Ricardo Ravelo explained.
Sinaloa, which shares its name with the gang who controls the territory, is considered to be one of the most dangerous areas in Mexico. According to Reuters, it is the home of Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, also known as the most wanted man in the country. “El Nino,” the aforementioned teen assassin, reportedly performed several jobs for the cartels in this area alone.
