In September 2014, 43 male students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Mexico seemingly vanished into thin air, after traveling to Mexico City to mark the 46th anniversary of the Tlatelolco student massacre.
For years now, the public has been trying to figure out what really happened, as the Mexican government claimed that the students’ bodies — which were never found — were burned in a trash dump.
Newly uncovered evidence shows that the truth is far more disturbing that anyone anticipated.
Read more below.
New Evidence
According to The Daily Beast, new evidence shows that the police conspired with a drug cartel to kill the students.
Text messages show that deputy police chief and crime boss Gildardo López Astudillo coordinated to execute the students, because they took over buses that were part of a drug running operation to smuggle heroin into the United States.
By accidentally stealing the drugs, the evidence shows, the 43 students signed their own death warrants.
The students’ families are now demanding a new search for the bodies and action against those involved in the massacre.
Vast Conspiracy
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s former chief of international operations Mike Vigil, this shows that the Mexican government conspired with a drug cartel to kill the students.
"The new evidence that has come to light regarding the Ayotzinapa case cracks it wide open and provides irrefutable proof of who was involved in the student massacre," Vigil said.
"The story of the massacre of the students in Ayotzinapa is like a Hollywood movie, but the events are real. They involve collusion between the police, army, organized crime, and a massive coverup by the Mexican government."
Military Role
The text messages between the deputy police chief and López were intercepted by the Mexican military, but the military took seven years to release them. Many believe this shows that the military played a key role in the murders.
"The army hides information because it’s in their best interest to do so. The whole world knows that the army controls the drug trade [in that part of Mexico.]," a high-ranking Mexican police commander told The Daily Beast.
"The army destroys anyone or anything that gets in their way. They work with organized crime to protect their own objectives," the commander added.
US Sells Weapons To Mexican Military
The Intercept reported last week that the United States, under the leadership of President Joe Biden, is "pressing forward with the sale of millions of dollars in weapons" to the Mexican military.
Some Democratic lawmakers have put pressure on Biden to halt the sale, pointing to the Mexican military’s abhorrent human rights record.
"We have a number of substantive concerns with these transfers based on recent reporting and credible documentation of abuses. We are currently engaged with the State Department on such concerns," Democratic aide on the House Foreign Affairs Committee explained.
