Mexico Police Rescue 73 Kidnapping Victims Held In Border City Of Reynosa [VIDEO]

Police in Mexico have rescued 73 suspected kidnapping victims from a house in the border city of Reynosa. Police followed the suspected kidnappers to the house where the 73 men, women and children were being hidden. Three alleged kidnappers are now in custody and reports are saying the kidnappings look to be gang related. Reynosa is one of the more dangerous states in Mexico. Rival drug gangs terrorize the town. A rival gang, the Zetas Cartel operating out of Tamaulipas is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 72 migrants in 2010.

The 72 people killed in 2010 were discovered in a mass grave in Tamaulipas. It is believed that the 73 people rescued on Monday were taken from bus stations and off of buses in order for the kidnappers to demand ransom from the victims' families. The people taken include a number of women and minors, it is believed that these individuals were sexually assaulted while in captivity. Of the 73 people found in the house 37 are from Mexico, 19 from Honduras, 14 from Guatemala and 3 come from El Salvador.

Some of the victims were held in the house for over four months while the captors negotiated large ransoms from the families. When police raided the house they found numerous weapons and large quantities of drugs. Reports say that there was nearly 22,046 pounds of marijuana, a hand grenade and 700 bullet rounds. Kidnappings such as this are common occurrences in the northeastern part of Mexico.

When Mexico president Enrique Pena Nieto took office in December of 2012 he vowed to reduce the drug and gang violence that soared under his predecessor Felipe Calderon. While Calderon was president he sent the Mexican armed forces to try and stop the violence and end the rule of the cartels. This action made things worse and the cartels took action against the government. It has been reported that 70,000 people were killed during Calderon's administration. Under Pena the violence is not as extreme but the average drug related death per month in Mexico stands at 1,000.

More From Latin Times

Mexico Ranks No. 1 In Child Porn Distribution And No. 2 In Production, Say Officials

Mexico Church Collapse Injuries 20, Kills 10-Year-Old Boy