HOLY GUACAMOLE - Bat Man - Things are getting worse.

BALBOA PARK - San Diego - Think Twice and don't take "The Antique Martin"

No "Spring Fling" this year - trust the Gypsies they are safer.

FRIDAY, March 07, 2007

Mexico Kidnappings - Danger in San Diego

From the UK Telegraph March 07, 2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/06/wmexico106.xml

A wave of kidnappings in Mexico has halved the number of tourists visiting the country's most famous popular destination and left foreigners working in the country terrified for their families.

In January, US officials warned travellers to Mexico to exercise extra caution given a recent spike in kidnappings of American residents. According to the FBI, the number of abductions involving US citizens and legal residents along the California part of the border alone more than doubled during 2007 and, since November, has been at the rate of around six per month.

"It is a business to them," said Darrell Foxworth, an FBI special agent in San Diego division. "They are involved in a number of criminal activities and one is kidnapping....

About 90 per cent of the cases involve a middle-class family with no criminal ties living in San Diego and neighbouring communities.

Hostages are held "for a period of time to exact a ransom" and frequently subjected to "acts of brutality, torture, beatings," Mr Foxworth said.

"They are also starved - we had one report where a person was held for two weeks during which time they were handcuffed with their hands behind them the entire time, chained to the floor and fed only three tortillas and water. It's just unconscionable what's happened to some of these people."

In 2007, according to the FBI, at least 26 San Diego County residents were kidnapped and held for ransom in Tijuana and the Baja California communities of Rosarito Beach or Ensenada.

San Diego State University warned students to "consider the recent violence" before traveling south for this month's spring break.

MORE -
http://www.fox6.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=083e397f-82ba-47d4-8330-0ead3458633f

"They plan the execution of the abduction quite well and it's done very quickly and in a very surprising manner," says FBI Special Agent in Charge, Keith Slotter.

Agents say some of the people are abducted from this side of the border in South Bay in public places.

Agents say many of the victims are brutally beaten and some women have been raped repeatedly.

MORE -
I Will Never Return to Mexico� Amid a surge of American kidnappings at the U.S.-Mexico border, a survivor�s story.

Newsweek

February 25, 2008

Sincerely,
Gargoyle