Gunmen apparently working for a drug cartel killed an American in Mexico, and one of the alleged killers was a deserter from Honduras’ presidential guard, authorities in northern Mexico said.
Arizona resident Nicholas Quets was shot dead on October 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 resort of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, at the time of the attack. His vehicle may have passed through a cartel checkpoint just before the killing, local media reported.
Quets’ family told CBS affiliate KOLD-TV that he was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
“The unique thing about him is that he was a protector, and he wouldn’t even harm a flea that would harm someone else,” his father Doug told the station. “Because of that characteristic, he had a wide, wide circle of friends.”
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Prosecutors in the northern state of Sonora said late Tuesday that the Honduran suspect and an companion had been “neutralized” in the town of Altar after opening fire on security forces. Neutralized is a term used in Mexican law enforcement to mean killed.
The Public Prosecution Service has posted a video of the suspects on social media.
Prosecutors said the Honduran suspect — who, like the others, was not identified by his full name — had an outstanding desertion order from Honduras’ presidential honor guard. Drug cartels in Mexico often recruit former military members from Central and South America. He is in custody for investigation of weapons and drug charges.
Prosecutors said they had also arrested two other suspects in Quets’ murder. One was identified as a ‘Delta’, a gang working for the Chapitos, a faction of the The Sinaloa Drug Cartel.
Quets’ family told KOLD-TV they are heartbroken after the loss of their 31-year-old son, whose name was Nick.
“If I had to do something, I’d say, ‘Well, I’ll wait for Nick to get here,’” said his father, Doug. “Knowing that Nick won’t be here to do that is a void that will be difficult for us to get through.”
The family told KOLD-TV that Quets had been deployed to countries around the world, including Australia and countries in Southeast Asia.
The family has set up a GoFundMe for a memorial scholarship in his honor.
