Gunmen working for a cartel shoot and kill a US man in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in northern Mexico say gunmen apparently working for a drug cartel killed a U.S. man and that one of the alleged killers was a deserter from Honduras’ presidential guard unit.

Arizona resident Nicholas Quets was shot to death on Oct. 18 near a gas station between the towns of Altar and Caborca, in the border state of Sonora. Local media reported that Quets was traveling to the beach resort of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, at the time of the attack.

Local media reported that Quets’ vehicle may have passed a cartel roadway checkpoint just before the killing.

Prosecutors in the northern state of Sonora said late Tuesday the Honduran suspect and a companion had been “neutralized” in the town of Altar after they opened fire on security forces. Neutralized is a term used in Mexican law enforcement to mean killed.

They said the Honduran suspect — who, like the others, was not identified by his full name — had an outstanding warrant for desertion from Honduras' presidential honor guard. Drug cartels in Mexico often recruit former military members from Central and South America.

Prosecutors said they had also arrested two other suspects in the killing of Quets. One was identified as a “Delta,” a gang that works for the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

He and another suspect are being held in custody for investigation on weapons and drug charges.