Matamoros Drug Violence Spurs Rise In Kidnapping

By John Burnett

Published April 2, 2015 at 3:37 PM CDT

Battles between rival drug gangs are flaring in the northeastern Mexican city of Matamoros. Kidnapping is increasingly being used by the narco-traffickers as an income generator. One kidnapping victim tells NPR his story.

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Mexico Drug War All Things Considered

John Burnett

As NPR's Southwest correspondent based in Austin, Texas, John Burnett covers immigration, border affairs, Texas news and other national assignments. In 2018, 2019 and again in 2020, he won national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association for continuing coverage of the immigration beat. In 2020, Burnett along with other NPR journalists, were finalists for a duPont-Columbia Award for their coverage of the Trump Administration's Remain in Mexico program. In December 2018, Burnett was invited to participate in a workshop on Refugees, Immigration and Border Security in Western Europe, sponsored by the RIAS Berlin Commission.

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