Suspected drug cartel gunmen kidnap two female soldiers vacationing at Mexico beach

Army general described kidnapping as ‘cowardly act’

Two female soliders were freed by Mexcio’s army after being held by kidnappers for almost 15 hours by suspected drug cartel gunmen, authorities have said.

The two women were staying in Puerto Vallarta, a popular beach resort in Mexico’s Jalisco state, when they were kidnapped around midnight on Wednesday, the army said.

Gen Vicente Pérez López, of the Mexican army’s Puerto Vallarta headquarters, said the two women rented an apartment in the beach resort and “were enjoying the beach ... on vacation,” before their kidnapping.

“They were kidnapped for the simple reason that they belonged to the army,” said Gen López in a statement, calling it a “cowardly act”. The women were allegedly taken while sleeping.

Gen Pérez López identified the two women as a sergeant posted as an office worker and a second lieutenant who teaches at an army school.

“They had nothing to do with any operational issues,” he added.

Mexico’s army staffs most services — from hospitals and schools to weapons factories — with its own personnel and does not employ many civilians for such roles.

The kidnappers – who were not immediately identified – were thought to be members of a local drug cartel, Jalisco New Generation, “because of the way in which they operated,” the army said.

The army said the two women were freed later on Thursday after being held captive for about 15 hours. The statement did not reveal further details about how the release took place.

Mexico’s Jalisco state is dominated by the violent Jalisco New Generation cartel, which frequently clashes with the Mexican military and is heavily armoured – including with weaponised drones.

In an incident n 2015, Jalisco cartel gunmen used a rocket-propelled grenade to bring down a Mexican army Eurocopter transport helicopter, killing eight soldiers and a police officer. The Mexican government afterwards promised to crackdown on the cartel.

Local reports suggested the kidnapping was in retaliation for the arrest of a Jalisco drug cartel member on 22 April, according to Puerto Vallarta News. 

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.