21 men were kidnapped and forced to plant opium poppy and marijuana

The State Investigation Agency ( AEI ) rescued 21 men who were kidnapped and forced to work with a criminal group to plant drugs .

The victims had been living in the place for up to two years and a half.

The victims were rescued from the Ocampo municipality , in the state of Chihuahua , after the AEI and the State Commission to Search Missing Persons received information in regards to people who were being kept in the location against their will.

The authorities confirmed that the 21 men are from different states and four of them had been reported as missing .

The victims explained that they were lied to and that they were offered a job to install a fence for a daily wage of MXN $350 but instead, they were forced to plant poppy and marijuana. They were forced to wake up at 6 AM and slept inside a cave at night , while they were surveilled by armed men .

The Attorney General's Office announced that it has opened an investigation for human trafficking and the Federal Prosecutor's Office will launch an investigation for organized crime and drug trafficking .

Illegal opium poppy cultivation increases in Mexico

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