The girlfriend of a man accused of murdering three tourists in Mexico is alleged to have been found with meth and one of the men’s phones after a routine stop.
The remains of Perth brothers Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and their friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were found dumped in a 45metre-deep well in the Mexican province of Baja California earlier this month.
Mexican authorities allege the perpetrators saw the trio’s Chevrolet Colorado and wanted to steal the tyres, with the victims murdered when they resisted.
Three Mexican nationals have been arrested; the alleged ringleader Jesús Gerardo, his brother Cristian Alejandro and Gerardo’s 23-year-old girlfriend Ari Gisel.
Gisel was stopped by cops on a routine patrol in Ensenada on May 1, when when she allegedly threw a small bag containing 100g of meth on the ground and tried to run away, Telediario reported.
Perth brothers Callum (left) and Jake (right) are pictured
Jack Carter Rhoad, from the US, joined the Perth brothers on the surfing holiday in Mexico
Ari Gisel (pictured) was arrested following a routine patrol on May 1
An iPhone belonging to Mr Rhoad was also allegedly found following an inspection of the vehicle.
It was previously reported Gisel had come to the attention of authorities after she turned on Mr Rhoad’s phone which then pinged a local mobile tower.
A Baja California investigator said they had contacted US authorities in San Diego to obtain the victims’ phone numbers.
‘We tracked down the devices, until one of them was turned on and we had a location,’ they told The Daily Beast.
‘That’s when we found this woman who was in possession of the American’s cellphone.’
Gisel previously told a court Gerardo had admitted to killing the three men after he returned home from the campsite where they were last seen alive on April 27.
The court heard Gerardo told Gisel: ‘I essentially f***** up three gringos’.
Gisel asked what he meant by that, with Gerardo telling her: ‘I killed them’.
She claimed he then showed her his vehicle, which was sporting tyres that had been allegedly stolen from the white Chevrolet Colorado the trio had been driving.
The Attorney Generals Office is now tasked with proving Gisel was in possession of methamphetamine with the intention of selling the illegal drug.
Gerardo will remain in custody until his next hearing in November.
Mexican authorities allegedly discovered an iPhone belonging to Mr Rhoad and 100g of methamphetamine in Gisel’s vehicle during a patrol on May 1
The remains were found in a well (pictured) more than 15 metres (49ft) deep next to a cliff at Punta San José in Santo Tomás, in the municipality of Ensenada
Baja California investigators previously said the trio were killed after their pickup truck was set upon by thieves.
‘The tourists refused and tried to fight back, but the robbers were armed,’ they said.
‘When the criminals took out their guns the three [tourists] tried to de-escalate things, but it was too late, they beat them and then shot them in the head.’
The brother’s parents Martin and Debra Robinson travelled to the region and spoke from San Diego where they shared their heartbreak over their sons’ deaths.
‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Callum and Jake have been murdered,’ Ms Robinson said.
‘Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us.
‘We also mourn the loss of Carter Rhoad, a close friend.
‘They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.
‘Now it’s time to bring them home to family and friends – and the ocean waves in Australia. Please live bigger, shine brighter and love harder in their memory.’
Baja California has been plagued by cartel violence in recent months.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California from the Baja peninsula.
