Mexico's bloody cartels are once again in the headlines after four Americans driving to a tummy tuck operation were kidnapped with two being shot to death before the survivors were rescued.
In a seemingly bizarre turn, the cartel who rule the area around where the Americans were seized, Tamaulipas state, claimed responsibility and apologised for the incident which authorities believe may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Local police found five men beaten and tied up inside a pick-up truck, alongside a a handwritten letter, apologising in Spanish to the families of the victims, including a Mexican woman who was killed by a stray bullet, and to the residents of the state.
