I am sorry, but I simply don’t believe this. The cartels are setting off car bombs in Cd. Juarez, there are shootouts in public places, people are getting killed on the streets daily, public officials are assassinated, there is chaos and mayhem, and the Mexican Army takes time out of its busy schedule to go after and set up two guys from the US who are obviously not big time cartel members? I don’t think so. I think they did a very dumb thing, and now it is going to cost their families some bucks to get them out of there. Unless the Mexicans decide to make an example of them, which I really doubt they will do because they have bigger, nastier fish to fry.
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Testimony from three Mexican witnesses at the scene—people who said they didn't know the Americans—contradicted the army's version of events.
José Antonio Bujanda, 21, told the court on Feb. 26 that he saw soldiers pull over Messrs. Huckabee and Quijas while he was washing windows of cars lined up to cross the bridge into Texas. He said he saw soldiers plant the suitcases in Mr. Huckabee's gray Dodge Ram.
"The two soldiers went to their own truck. I saw them take out two suitcases, then put them in the gray truck," he said.
Abraham Antero Torres, a 19-year-old candy seller, testified that he saw the same. "The military men that were behind took out two black traveler's suitcases and put them into the Ram, and that was it," he said.
A third witness, Fernando Monsiváis, another window washer, told the court: "The soldiers put the suitcases in the truck, the young men's truck."
Mr. Bujanda was shot and killed in front of his home by an unknown assailant on July 2. Attempts to reach Messrs. Torres and Monsiváis to comment were unsuccessful.
Alejandro Dominguez, a fingerprint expert hired by Mr. Huckabee's family, testified in March that the marijuana packages showed no signs of his fingerprints.
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I agree it is stupid to go to Mexico these days. I don't think it should result in a life sentence. According to the article, one went to visit relatives and the other went to have his father's truck repaired cheaply, which was very common before drug wars. Millions still cross to do those things every year. These guys just didn't get the memo yet.
Your compassion meter is set a little low.