A United States judge has ordered a Mexican Drug Cartel to pay over $4 Billion over 2019 Mormon family desert slayings.

In 2019, a three-vehicle caravan that included three women, a 2-year-old, 8-month-old twins, and three other children was ambushed by a Mexican drug cartel. Of the caravan, 7 children survived the attack with 5 of them shot in total. The children were forced to brave the desert heat to find help while the others burned alive after the caravan was set ablaze. Since then, the families have accused the cartel of targeting them for their public criticism of the drug trade. In 2020, the families filed a suit against the cartel for the desert attack.

U.S. Judge Orders Mexican Drug Cartel To Pay $4.6 Billion To Mormon Families Over 2019 Desert Attack

According to The Bismarck Tribune, North Dakota federal magistrate Judge Clare Hochalter issued an enormous settlement against the Juarez cartel, which allegedly killed the members of the Mormon community roughly 90 miles south of the U.S. border during the slaying. Thanks to the federal Anti-Terrorism Act, Hochalter’s $1.5 billion ruling will be automatically tripled, bringing the total to $4.5 billion for the wrongful death suits. Some victims witnessed their family members’ murders, while other family members went to the scene after and found their loved ones deceased.