Puerto Vallarta Kidnapping: 12 People Abducted By Gunmen At Restaurant — So Scary

This is so terrifying! Gunmen reportedly burst into La Leche restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Aug. 15 and kidnapped twelve customers who were enjoying a celebratory meal. Officials have said no tourists were involved, the abduction involved ‘members of some criminal organization’, and the victims have gone missing. Get all of the details on what authorities are calling a ‘gang-on-gang crime’ right here.


Puerto Vallarta officials said that the kidnapping happened at around 1:00 AM, when five individuals in two SUVs — a Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Suburban — drove up to the restaurant, forced up to a dozen men into the cars and drove off, according to the Jalisco state prosecutor, per the Wall Street Journal. “There is a clear presumption that they were members of some criminal organization,” Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer said. “It wasn’t tourists or citizens who are dedicated to legal activities.”


While the Mexican media originally reported up to sixteen victims, Almaguer said there were actually 10-12. The Los Angeles Times also said that authorities considered it “a case of gang-on-gang crime”, explaining that tourists and foreigners were not the target.Almaguer didn’t say which criminal group the victims might be a part of, but assured citizens that the incident was isolated. “The situation at this moment is under control,” Jalisco Governor Aristóteles Sandoval added. “[Tourists and residents] can do all their activities without any problem.” He also tweeted, “The incidents that occurred in the early morning today in Puerto Vallarta cannot be permitted or tolerated.”

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Finally, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board issued an official statement saying that “security has been reinforced in Puerto Vallarta to ensure that residents as well as tourists can continue with their normal activities”, and reiterated that authorities are working to “find those responsible”. Both local and federal police have stepped up security.