When the expert becomes a victim

If you are a dentist and have a cavity – do you take the rotten tooth out yourself? If you are a lawyer and get into trouble with the law – do you defend yourself? If you are an anti-kidnapping expert and get abducted – what do you do? Negotiate your own release?

American-Cuban security consultant Felix Batista spent some time last week in the northern Mexican city of Saltillo, in the state of Coahuila, giving talks to the state police on public security. That’s, after all, what he does for a living. But, he is now missing himself; allegedly the victim of a kidnap by a drug gang wanting to show their power.

Batista has played a key role in negotiations of around 90 kidnap cases in Latin America. I’ve read reports that he almost ‘voluntarily” got into the van that the kidnappers used to take him away. He was not negotiating any kidnap case at the time and no ransom has been demanded since.

So what is really going on? At this moment, only the kidnappers and Batista himself know the answer. Let’s hope that he practices as he preaches and manages to get himself out of this one. If he does, I cannot think of a better PR tool for his consultancy career.

If he doesn’t, this will be yet another sad reminder that things in Mexico are not anymore what they used to be. And that those who have the power today are not the ones that are supposed to have it.

Unfortunately.