AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The shooting death of a U.S. citizen in Mexico was a case of mistaken identity in a turf war between rival drug cartels, a U.S. intelligence company said.
David Michael Hartley, killed Sept. 30 during a sightseeing trip to the Mexican side of Falcon Lake -- formed by the international crossing at Falcon Dam between Falcon Heights, Texas, and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas -- was shot by cartel enforcers of the Zetas drug cartel who thought Hartley was a spy for the rival Gulf Cartel, Strategic Forecasting Inc. of Austin, Texas, said.
Hartley's body has not been recovered and was likely destroyed as the Zetas went into "damage control" mode, Stratfor said.
"The cartel boss, Miguel Trevino, is highly upset over the fact that these individuals shot and killed Mr. Hartley and it's our understanding that the cartel boss is hunting for the killers of Mr. Hartley so he can take care of them himself," the San Antonio Express-News quoted intelligence Vice President Fred Burton as saying.
Related
The Zetas, reputed to be dedicated to the illegal drug trade and other organized-crime activities, once worked for and partnered with the Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, but went independent in February and became a Gulf Cartel enemy.
Burton said the beheading Tuesday of Rolando Armando Flores Villegas, the lead Mexican investigator in the case, was a clear message to Washington and Mexico City to leave the case alone.
Hartley's wife, Tiffany, said the two were ambushed by lake pirates while the couple took pictures of a submerged Mexican town.
The case has drawn international attention, with Tiffany Hartley and her family appearing on TV news shows defending her story and pleading for action.
