MEXICO CITY _ The kidnapping early Monday of as many as a dozen men from a restaurant in the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta was probably a case of gang-on-gang crime and didn't target tourists or foreigners, Mexican authorities say.
Eduardo Almaguer, chief prosecutor of Jalisco state, also denied rumors in the Mexican press suggesting that among those kidnapped were sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the imprisoned cartel leader.
"We haven't confirmed until now that there were relatives of that person," the prosecutor said, referring to Guzman, whom U.S. authorities are seeking to extradite from Mexico on trafficking and other charges.
The kidnapping appeared to involve rival crime gangs, officials said.
All of those abducted were Mexican citizens linked to an unspecified "criminal group," Almaguer said at a news conference in the Pacific coast city.
"We want to stress that there is a very clear presumption that this had to do with a criminal group, it didn't involve tourists or citizens who were involved in legitimate activities," he said.
The fate of those abducted remained publicly unknown.
Authorities knew which criminal organizations were involved, said the prosecutor, who didn't name them.
Several drug trafficking organizations _ including Guzman's powerful Sinaloa cartel _ have been vying for control of Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is situated. But drug-related violence has generally not spread to Puerto Vallarta or nearby tourist spots.
Battles between competing drug gangs in Mexico often involve kidnappings.
Mexico has been engaged in a campaign to boost tourism at a time when reports of drug violence have scared off some foreign visitors. Tourism is among the country's top sources of income.
The kidnapping in Puerto Vallarta occurred shortly after 1 a.m. at an upscale restaurant on a main drag. Five armed attackers apparently entered the restaurant and herded 10 to 12 men into a pair of white SUVs, the prosecutor said. Four women with the group were not taken.
