Mexican Authorities Arrest Suspects In Murder Of 3 New Mexico Men

Federal Authorities in Juarez claim a major victory against organized crime after they arrest a group of alleged hit men that allegedly work for the Sinaloa Cartel.

The hit men were arrested after a shootout Thursday afternoon in a south Juarez Neighborhood.

Investigators say the men confessed to kidnapping and killing a groom and two members of his wedding party during a wedding ceremony in Juarez earlier this month. The men were later found dead in Juarez in the back of a pick up truck with Texas plates.

They were identified as Rafael Morales Valencia, 29; his brother, Jaime Morales, 25; and their uncle, Guadalupe Morales, 51. The men were from La Mesa, New Mexico, investigators said.

Even though the alleged killers are behind bars, residents in La Mesa are still shook up. Many said the chaos on the streets of Juarez is a sharp contrast from the sounds of their quiet community.

‘It’s a tragedy, what happened to them. It really is,” said a resident of La Mesa who did not want to be identified.

Many of the residents in the seemingly peaceful neighborhood are still rattled by what happened. Few were willing to make a comment about the murders.

A neighbor of the Morales family, who did not want to be identified, would only say their neighbors owned a trucking business in the small town. “They were nice people, very nice people. You know, they would just mind their own business,” he said.