Is the Mexican Cartel Responsible for the Murders in Pike County
Photo by Quay DeVoll
ZANESVILLE, Ohio-Â Investigators are looking into the possibility of a Mexican drug cartel connection to the mass shootings in Pike County. It’s a group familiar to local law enforcement.
Back in 2010, the Ohio Attorney General offices says there was a group growing thousands of marijuana plants here in Muskingum and also nearby Logan County. Authorities arrested 10 illegal immigrants in what Sheriff Matt Lutz said was a “very sophisticated and elaborate operation.”
“During that time we found a large number of marijuana plants and there were two common factors in those two cases,” said Sheriff Lutz. “The fact that you could tell that folks were basically living in the woods, tending to these plants. When I see what happened out of Pike County it takes me back to when we had those incidents here.”
Authorities aren’t sure if the incident in Pike County is related to a Mexican drug cartel however, Sheriff Lutz urges the community to be proactive.
“When you see these things it does make you sad, but it also kind of heighten your awareness and it puts you more on edge. Because these things are happening in towns just like we have here. I don’t want to lump anything into that case yet until we get more details about what happened. I know that things have kind of turned with the marijuana being involved there is still a lot of follow-up to do. I can’t imagine having crimes scenes like that and 8 victims,” said Lutz.
No arrests have been made in Pike County, and officials have not said if they have any suspects in mind. They have not released any details about a motive.
