A shootout between criminals for the sale of drugs in a hotel in Puerto Morelos, in the Mexican Caribbean, has left two criminals dead, a tourist injured and caused scenes of terror among tourists and workers.
It was around 2:00 p.m. local time when on the beach of a luxury hotel complex that opened its doors just a month ago, the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, panic broke out. A group of between 10 and 15 hooded and heavily armed people He arrived aboard at least two boats along the beach and went straight for two people, apparently drug dealers (small-scale traffickers) from a rival group.
In a first crash one of the alleged drug dealers lost his life, while the other was trying to take refuge in a room inside the hotel. But according to various testimonies and confirmed by the State Prosecutor’s Office, the man was pursued by the complex and finally murdered by members of the rival command in front of several tourists and workers.
According to a bulletin from the State Prosecutor’s Office, the first investigations suggest that it was due to a dispute between gangs for the sale of “toxic substances”. Hours before the event, a first group of four or five people had arrived in the area and mentioned that “they were going to be in charge of selling drugs in that area of the beach, two of them staying in place.”
Moments of panic among tourists
The tourists, who were mostly in swimsuits on the beach and in the pool area, they ran to take refuge in different areas of the hotel as soon as the bullets were heard.
Several of them began to transmit on social networks what was happening and in some videos you can see the hotel staff asking them to stay crouched on the floor and stay calm.
Although no further details were specified, sources from the Government of Quintana Roo have reported an American tourist with head injuries from a blow from a gun handle, while it has already been ruled out that there are more injured.
The criminals they fled the place in the same boats with which they arrived, and so far no further information has been given about the escape route they would have followed.
After the event, a strong security device was mounted that included the presence of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the National Guard and state corporations.
Unusually, since it is not common for him to participate in these operations, a helicopter from the Mexican Navy joined the surveillance of the entire perimeter of this hotel complex that can only be easily reached by the main road, since its beach is surrounded by mangroves.
Workers fear to speak
Hours after the event, several workers were visibly affected in their shift change, registering some nervous breakdowns. Neither the employees nor the few guests who left the facilities have wanted to make statements to the press.
In a brief message, the United States Embassy in Mexico explains that it has been informed of the shooting in the beach area shared by the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, the most affected, and the Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun, both in Puerto Morelos.
“Mexican authorities are responding to the situation. We advise US citizens in the area to contact concerned family and / or friends to inform them that they are safe,” the authority requested.
Mexico has recorded the two most violent years in its history in the first two years of the mandate of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with 34,689 people killed in 2019 and 34,558 in 2020.
The country accumulates 25,392 malicious homicides between January and September 2021. In the first nine months of the year, Quintana Roo adds 495 murders.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
