Cancun, Q.R. — A total of 22 kids that were lured to Cancun by someone they knew have been rescued by authorities. Of the 22 children, 16 have been reported as victims of human trafficking for labor exploitation.
During their Wednesday rescue, two men were arrested. Their arrests took place during a search of four properties where they kept the 22 minors, all reported to be from the state of Chiapas. Local police were granted warrants to search the homes after resident reports of likely criminal activity.
Following an investigation by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Crimes of Trafficking and Exploitation of Children, it was discovered that girls and boys between the ages of 10 and 14 were selling pozol, a drink they transported on heavy tricycles that they pushed during 12-hour workdays.
“After locating the minors and their homes, authorities requested and obtained search warrants for four properties located in Supermanzana 67. Inside the homes they rescued 16 minors, nine girls and seven boys, as well as six children between one month and seven years old, the latter being children of the now detained individuals,” police said in a statement.
Arrested are Julio “N” and Antonio “N”, who, according to initial investigations, were responsible for luring the minors from San Juan Cancun, Chiapas through promises of a better life in Cancun.
The two men who lured the kids are known to families in Chiapas, police said.
“The modus operandi was to offer them well-paid jobs and then transfer them to Cancun where they were subjected to long hours of work under the sun and given only 100 pesos a day, even though the pozol sales amounted to between 1,500 and 2,000 pesos. They were only given two meals,” authorities reported.
During the searches, the participating officers found that the exploited minors were living in deplorable conditions, so they, along with the detainees’ six children, were taken to the appropriate custody facility.
Julio “N” and Antonio “N” are facing charges for their alleged involvement in acts constituting the crime of human trafficking in the form of labor exploitation.
