Mexican Authorities Take A Close Look At Online Hitmen-For-Hire Ads

That blissful time in which you could breezily comb the interwebs for a discreet and professional person to shoot your significant other in the face is soon to be in the past, if the Mexican police have their way. They are currently looking over online ads claiming to be from hitmen, or sicarios in Spanish, offering their services:

In the online adverts on one classified site, one advert reads: “Assassin ex-military professional and discreet. Work guaranteed in 10 days or less. Have worked in Spain. $6,000. Serious requests only” and gives a hotmail address as a contact.

Hotmail? These killers must all be someone’s totally embarrassing dad. Hiring hitmen is actually not a totally uncommon practice in Mexico, although these online ads have lent an ease to the entire undertaking that didn’t exist previously. In 2008 over 2000 killings have been attributed to the sicarios.

Another offering “hitman for hire” asks: “Problems with a certain person? Do you want me to solve it? Write to me. 100% professional, we don’t take money in advance.”

The classified ads site also appears to be a place where those needing the services of a killer might go.

One advert in the Wanted section reads: “I need to contact a killer for a probable contract in the DF (Federal District of Mexico) must be reliable. it is a simple job.”

This is basically exactly like Craigslist except without promises of 200 RO$E$ or specifications of NO MEN! NO MEN! NO MEN! Not that we, uh… Oh dear. This is more incriminating that admitting to hiring a Mexican hitman online. Which is precisely the problem. The lack of effective justice has created an environment where hitmen are so confident they won’t get caught or penalized that they feel safe placing ads for their services online. Additionally, why don’t police post their own ads and see who responds? Or is that entrapment?

Se busca sicario para un trabajo sencillo [Blogs Periodista Digital]