U.S. Marine Corps veteran shot dead by cartel-hired gunmen in Mexico: “He was a protector”

Gunmen apparently working for a drug cartel killed an American in Mexico, and one of the alleged killers was a deserter from Honduras’ presidential guard unit, authorities in northern Mexico said.

Arizona resident Nicholas Quets was shot to death on Oct. 18 near a gas station between the towns of Altar and Caborca, in the border state of Sonora. Local media reported that Quets was traveling to the beach resort of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, at the time of the attack. His vehicle may have passed a cartel roadway checkpoint just before the killing, local media reported.

Quets’ family told CBS affiliate KOLD-TV he was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

“The unique thing about him is that he was a protector, and he wouldn’t even hurt a flea that would cause harm to someone else,” his father Doug told the station. “Because of that characteristic, he had a wide, wide circle of friends.”  

Prosecutors in the northern state of Sonora said late Tuesday the Honduran suspect and a companion had been “neutralized” in the town of Altar after they opened fire on security forces. Neutralized is a term used in Mexican law enforcement to mean killed.

The prosecutor’s office released video of the suspects on social media.

Prosecutors said the Honduran suspect — who, like the others, was not identified by his full name — had an outstanding warrant for desertion from Honduras’ presidential honor guard. Drug cartels in Mexico often recruit former military members from Central and South America. He is being held in custody for investigation on weapons and drug charges.

Prosecutors said they had also arrested two other suspects in the killing of Quets. One was identified as a “Delta,” a gang that works for the Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Quets’ family told KOLD-TV they are heartbroken after losing their 31-year-old son, who went by Nick.

“With something I had to do, I would say, ‘Well, I’ll just wait until Nick gets here,'” his father Doug said. “Knowing Nick’s not going to be here to do that, is a void we’re going to have a hard time getting past.”

The family told KOLD-TV that Quets had deployed to countries around the world, including Australia and nations in Southeast Asia.

The family has set up a GoFundMe for a memorial scholarship to honor him.