Private investigator Jay Armes III exposes the hidden danger lurking in Mexico, where cartels are employing women and children as assassins, blurring the lines between innocence and violence.
In the face of the gruesome murders of three surfers in Mexico, private investigator Jay Armes III raises a chilling alarm: cartels in the country are increasingly using women and children as assassins.
Armes, who specializes in kidnappings in Mexico, warns that the perpetrators of violence may not be who they appear. "The bad guys don't look like bad guys," he tells Fox News Digital.
Cartels have mastered the art of deception, using images and videos of intimidating armed members to instill fear, while their real assassins remain hidden in plain sight. "When you capture these people and line them up, and you look at their faces, they look like your gardener, the waitress who served you dinner at a restaurant, the little old grandmother down the street," Armes says.
The use of women as assassins is not a new phenomenon, but its prevalence is alarming. Claudia Ochoa Felix, known as the Kim Kardashian of Mexican cartels, was El Chapo's "top assassin" and notorious for her social media presence with weapons.
Armes reveals that young children are also being kidnapped and groomed as killers. "They don't attract attention from anyone's security detail," he explains. "They're not going to look twice at a child or a beautiful woman with the same scrutiny as a man."
Research by the International Crisis Group (ICG) confirms Armes' observations. "Male crime bosses tend to value women for their perceived competence, respect for hierarchy and ability to evade police attention," the ICG report states.
The rise in women involved in cartel crimes is evident in prison statistics. From 2017 to 2021, the percentage of women charged with cartel-related crimes increased from 5.4% to 7.5%. Armes emphasizes that the number continues to climb.
As summer vacations approach, Americans flock to Mexican resorts, but they must be aware of the evolving security landscape. The once-safe tourist destinations are now infiltrated by cartels who see tourists as potential customers or collateral damage.
Armes urges travelers to "be hypervigilant." "If people walk into a place, and you get a really bad vibe and something's just not right … and your instincts tell you to get out, you should get out," he advises.
The grim reality of cartels grooming women and children as assassins underscores the need for heightened security and awareness. As the lines between innocence and danger blur, it is crucial to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of those who have witnessed the horrors firsthand.
