Colombia’s president seeks Mexican counterpart’s help in finding missing music artists

MEXICO CITY

Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday to help locate two missing Colombian music artists who disappeared last week in Mexico City.

Singer Bayron Sanchez, also known as B King, and fellow artist DJ Jorge Herrera were on a tour of Mexico.

"I ask the president of the United Mexican States, Claudia Sheinbaum, my friend and comrade in arms since the defunct M-19 guerrilla group, and the entire Colombian diplomatic corps in Mexico to ensure the return of singer Bayron Sanchez and his teammate Jorge Herrera," he wrote on the US social media company X’s platform.

Sanchez and Herrera were last seen on Sept. 16 in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City after going to a local gym, according to an official missing persons notice.

Petro said they had performed in Sonora in northwestern Mexico shortly before going missing.

“They disappeared after their concert in Sonora, possibly due to the multinational mafias that are growing in our continent, fueled by the rampant drug consumption in the US, which itself grows due to the lack of love in its decadent society,” Petro added.

Mexico is currently facing a humanitarian crisis involving enforced disappearances. The country has recorded more than 130,000 cases since its 2006 declaration of a war on drugs.

The crisis is largely attributed to drug trafficking cartels and their efforts to maintain control over territory and drug routes.

“I hope for Mexico's help to find these beautiful young people alive who dare to sing to beauty and keep hope in their hearts,” Petro wrote.