(NewsNation) — The accused killers of three surfers last year have been linked to a Mexican drug cartel, according to ABC.net.au.
Jesús Gerardo and Irineo Francisco, who have an alleged affiliation with the Sinaloa drug cartel, were transferred to a maximum-security prison.
Gerardo and Francisco are two of the four men charged with the aggravated homicide of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson along with American Jack Carter Rhoad.
The three were killed while camping in Northern Mexico after the four men attempted to steal their truck for its tires. Baja California prosecutors said the Robinson brothers and Rhoad’s bodies were later found 50 feet deep in a remote well. Their bodies, each with a gunshot in the head, were identified by relatives as well.
“What started as a minor crime — car theft — turned into forced disappearance and the murder of three people, in a way that closely resembles the behavior of organized crime groups,” said Miguel Ángel Gaxiola Rodríguez, the lead prosecutor.
Jake and Callum Robinson were on a surfing trip along the coast south of the city of Ensenada, Mexico, with Rhoad when they went missing on April 27, 2024.
The place where all three men went missing has been known to be a notorious hotspot for cartel violence, according to Víctor Clark Alfaro, professor at San Diego State University.
In addition, the U.S. government says the Sinaloa cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación are considered the two most dangerous cartels in Mexico.
“Two groups with organized crime are in dispute for the region, generating violence,” he said.
“On average, six murders take place daily, all revenge killings for the most part. There’s no glimpse of a solution in the short term, and it shows signs of getting worse and more intense.”
The next court date for the accused is scheduled for July 25. A trial date has not been set.
Following the surfers’ deaths, a foundation was set up in their honor: the Callum & Jake Robinson Foundation.
“The foundation was formed after Callum (32), Jake (31) and their friend Carter Rhoad (33) were murdered while on a surfing and camping weekend in Mexico in 2024,” the foundation’s page says. “The Foundation is a not-for-profit charity aiming to maximising positive changes in the lives of others. We want to help people Live Bigger, Shine Brighter and Love Harder in their honour.”