TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay rescue organization is mobilizing to evacuate Americans stranded in Mexico after the killing of a top cartel leader sparked widespread violence.
Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based organization, has already received at least a hundred of calls for help from Americans stranded in Mexico after the death of a notorious cartel leader known as "El Mencho" triggered widespread violence over the weekend.
Watch full report from Annette Gutierrez
"They're pouring in, people are very scared," said Bryan Stern, the CEO of Grey Bull Rescue.
Criminal groups immediately reacted by setting cars and buildings on fire and blocking roads in and around popular tourist destinations. The U.S. Embassy is warning Americans in Mexico to shelter in place, as suspected cartel members have left many travelers with no flights in or out of the country, Sunday and early Monday morning.
Stern said the organization immediately began preparing a mission — dubbed "Operation: Condor Reach" — to rescue Americans stranded in the country.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez has previously covered stories with Grey Bull, helping rescue people out of Jamaica, Venezuela, and now Mexico. She caught up with Stern in a virtual interview on Monday as he was preparing to catch a flight to Mexico.
Stern said the scale of the response effort will require significant resources.
"This is a large-scale evacuation operation — helicopters and airplanes is how this will be done, until that is not available. If that becomes the case, then we have a maritime option as well," Stern said.
Stern warned that the operation will be dangerous, citing the cartel's capabilities.
"They are very well trained, very well resourced, very well equipped. They have night vision, and good guns, and body armor, and all the things that we have. So, this is a very capable threat, unlike a lot of the other places that we see," Stern said.
Stern also expressed concern about the potential for Americans to be taken hostage.
"The cartels like to kidnap people, they like to take hostages, they like to torture people," Stern said.
A Tampa man who was born in Mexico and left the country partly because of the cartel spoke with us about the situation, asking to hide his face to protect his family back home. In Spanish, he described the conditions on the ground.
"The situation in Mexico is very tense," he said.
He added that the danger is severe for anyone who does not comply with cartel demands.
"It's so dangerous … if you don't cooperate with them, they will kidnap you and ask for ransom," he said.
He said he is not at ease knowing his family back home cannot leave their house out of fear of being caught in gunfire in the streets.
Despite the dangers, Grey Bull Rescue is offering its services at no cost.
"There's no such thing as a Grey Bull Rescue Invoice," Stern said.
If you are stranded in Mexico or know someone who is, you can reach out to Grey Bull Rescue for help. The organization runs solely on donations. To request assistance or support their mission, visit the organization's website, here.
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