Canadian Couple Found in Puebla After Extortion

It ends well, but what a wild ride. Translation from Google.

http://paginaquesiselee.com/contenido/ultimas-noticias/item/1975-localizan-en-puebla-a-pareja-que-fue-victima-de-extorsion-telefonica-en-jocotepec?fbclid=IwAR0glVwMdmw-H3AUwl7Rl3W9cu54gORQO4lPsVoyXjTPLXbrJny1dARVT8o

Through an intelligence investigation by the Specialized Unit to Combat Kidnapping (UECS) of the Jalisco Prosecutor's Office, a Canadian and his wife were located in the state of Puebla, who were victims of telephone extortion by subjects who they were identified by members of a criminal cartel.

The victims were hooked, making them believe that they were being watched and that in exchange for not harming them they had to deposit various amounts of money as well as settling in various hotels in various municipalities up to their location in Huachinango, Puebla.

The investigation established that the woman and the man were in a Spa Hotel located in San Juan Cosalá, in the municipality of Jocotepec, when they received several calls in which they made them believe that it was the authority and that they had found weapons, so an investigation would be carried out in the place where they were going to be involved.

Subsequently, the victims received another call in which subjects who identified themselves as members of a criminal group made them believe that they were being watched and to provide "security" they had to make a deposit for 200 thousand pesos in various bank accounts; They also deceived them by telling them that a brother of the woman was kidnapped and they required more money to avoid damaging him.

At the same time, they instructed the couple to provide the telephone number of a relative, acquire more telephone sets and stay in various hotels that they would indicate in subsequent calls to the new cell phones.

Due to fear, the couple heeded the instructions of the criminals and settled in the hotels that were indicated, passing through Ajijic, Chapala, in Jalisco, while in Guanajuato in Irapuato, Salamanca, in addition to Querétaro and Mexico City.

During that period, the victims also received instructions to deposit various amounts of cash in various bank and department store accounts, which they did.

While this was happening, the woman's family received calls from the criminals who let them know that they had kidnapped the couple and to free them they had to deposit 500 thousand pesos, so a brother of the woman followed the instructions and forced him to move to the municipalities of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco; León and Irapuato, in Guanajuato, where he was located by the personnel of the Specialized Unit in the Fight against Kidnapping of the Jalisco Prosecutor's Office.

The UECS intelligence operation continued and it was possible to identify the point where the married couple was, being a hotel located in the municipality of Huachinango, Puebla, with the support of the authorities of that entity and they were prevented from making a last bank transfer with a large sum of money.

It was clear that at all times the affected people were victims of extortion in which they were hooked, making them believe that several family members had been kidnapped, which was false.

How would any "criminal cartel" know how to pick such a vulnerable foreign couple here on vacation, or staying at a hotel in SJC?  
There has to be a lot more to this story.

What a crazy story.. I do not believe one word of it.. Either the people were really gullible or there is a whole lot more to that story.
It is highly unlikely that a serious cartel is involved.. It sounds more like some of their friends or people they met or knew where involved..