The Sinaloa cartel claimed to have handed over the suspects who killed Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their friend Jack Rhoad in California.
The three were last seen on April 27 while they were on a surfing trip in Mexico.
The bodies were found in a well a week later. One of the suspects, Jesus Gerardo Cota, also known as El Kekas, was apprehended along with his brother and girlfriend Ari Gisel.
However, in a stunning turn, the powerful Sinaloa cartel claimed to have handed over the individuals responsible for the killings.
According to a cartel member, the three suspects were not part of the organization.
However, after learning that the law enforcers were looking for them, the cartel members decided to turn them over.
They then called the authorities to inform them where to find them. The individual claimed that the criminal group was afraid that it might get unwanted attention from the Mexican authorities.
This week, Gerardo appeared in court in Ensenada and was revealed that Ms Gisel was a key witness in the case.
Although he was initially charged with kidnapping, the prosecutors are now expected to upgrade the charge to murder.
Alison Piotrowski, a reporter for Nine News, said on Thursday that Gerardo allegedly told Ms Gisel that he had “fked up three gringos.”
According to the court, Gerardo confessed that he killed the three men. The attorney-general of Baja California stated that the victims were confronted by nationalists from Mexico who were looking to rob them. According to her office, the victims were deprived of their lives due to their reaction.
Through the investigation, the car used by the victims, which was a white Chevrolet Colorado, was found burned. This week, the parents of the Perth brothers were able to identify the bodies of their loved ones in Mexico. Ms Robinson, their mother, said that the world had become a darker place for the family.
In her statement, Ms Robinson said that the family was devastated by the loss of Carter Rhoad, who was a close friend of the brothers. She urged the people of Australia to remember the three men by living a better life.
“We have always been very proud of their academic and sporting achievements and admired their life choices as,” Ms Robinson said.