Drug-related shootout near Cancun resorts in Mexico kills 2
Two people were killed at nearby resorts in Cancun, Mexico.
According to the latest report of Associated Press, a group of gunmen stormed the beaches of the Azul Beach Resort and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun in Mexico—two of Mexico’s upscale resorts—and assassinated two drug dealers from a rival gang.
Oscar Montes de Oca, the head prosecutor of Quintana Roo state, said in an interview with the Radio Formula station that there were “about 15 people” from the group that executed the two men who claimed that the area was their new territory.
Montes de Oca further disclosed that one of the killed men actually managed to flee into one of the hotels before dying. The other died on the beach.
There was also one person who’s undergoing medical treatment after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries in the attack. It remains unclear whether that person was a hotel employee or a guest.
The dramatic attack sent tourists scrambling for cover at the resort of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun.
In a separate BBC report, the tweet of former NBC executive Mike Sington who is staying at the resort was quoted, saying: “Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, a gunman approached firing a gun. Everyone ran from the beach and swimming pools. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens.”
All guests and employees told to duck, and we’re all taken to hiding places at Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun Resort. Active shooter? Terrorist or kidnapping threat? They’re not telling us anything. pic.twitter.com/Hf7SRzRJIZ
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) November 4, 2021
The incident is the latest in a string of killings that have occurred in Mexico’s pristine coasts.
Riviera Maya, home to popular resorts like Cancún and Tulum, has seen an increase in violence in recent years, according to the BBC.
“Last month Mexican security forces were sent to Tulum after two foreign tourists were killed and others injured during a shootout between suspected gang members,” it said.
The Associated Press further reported that there are a number of cartels that are fighting for the area’s lucrative retail drug trade, “including the Jalisco cartel and a gang allied with the Gulf cartel.”