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14 dead in Cancun

markstanco

By markstanco
in Daily Texan

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markstanco

markstanco 12631

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Posted

http://fox2now.com/2018/04/13/14-killed-in-bloody-36-hours-as-violence-rocks-tourist-hot-spot-cancun/

Quote

CANCUN, Mexico – Violence rocked Mexico’s most popular tourist town, leaving 14 dead and five more injured in a 36-hour span, Noticaribe reports.

The deaths and injuries were the result of six separate incidents between the morning of April 4 and the evening of April 5.

Nine people were killed on April 4 alone.

In the past decade, the highest number of people killed in a single day in Cancun was five.


The killings are thought to be linked to organized crime.

On Tuesday, a judge ordered cartel “queenpin” Leticia Rodriguez Lara, known as “Doña Lety” to stand trial on multiple charges including drug trafficking, according to the Associated Press.

Believed to be a former police officer with ties to El Chapo, Lara’s crew allegedly mounted a bloody campaign to take control of drug sales in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

In March, the U.S. Department of State issued a “do not travel” advisory for several Mexican states citing widespread violent crime and gang activity.

Travel was not restricted to Cancun, which is in Quintana Roo state, because “homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations,” but travelers were warned that bystanders have been injured or killed in the past.

 

This is odd.  The killings happened on April 4th and 5th, but if you google "cancun" all the news stories are today and yesterday. 

Sounds like they covered it up very well for a good week.

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hayden_horn

hayden_horn 11365

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Mr. Drummond said:

Were they gringos sitting on the beach drinking fruity drinks ?  if not, don't caaaare.

http://www.kvue.com/article/news/nation-world/travel-agents-popular-sites-didnt-share-risks-with-those-booking-travel-to-mexico-resorts/507-537271803

even that isn't as safe as it used to be:

Quote

In an ongoing investigation, the Journal Sentinel has uncovered a barrage of terrifying experiences vacationers have had while staying in all-inclusive luxury resorts and visiting nearby tourist areas.

In most of the cases, the incidents ran contrary to the conventional wisdom offered to tourists by travel agents selling trips to Mexico: Just stay on the resort and in the tourist areas. You’re safe there.

The travelers told the Journal Sentinel they were following the rules. They weren’t drinking too much, wearing expensive jewelry or flashing cash. They didn’t go out looking for drugs. And the few that left the resorts went to the popular tourist stretch of Playa del Carmen to shop, dine or dance and paid close attention to their surroundings.

The victims were young and old, male and female. In some cases they blacked out in pairs — tall, hefty men losing consciousness at the same time as their petite wives, half their weight.

They never expected they would black out after a couple of drinks, get abducted from their luxury hotel room, or robbed and beaten nearly to death in a taxi. They didn’t realize they would be met with hostility from resort staff, police and hospital workers when they sought help.

The Journal Sentinel confirmed the reports through interviews, receipts, hospital and police records, photographs, court documents and other research.

Last May, Jennifer Drinkwine, her husband, and their three kids traveled from Colorado to the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, the same resort where — just four months earlier — 20-year-old Abbey Conner of Pewaukee, Wis., drowned in the pool under suspicious circumstances.

Drinkwine’s 19-year-old son drank a beer with dinner one night, then the family went to the resort club to listen to music. He did not order anything to drink. After a short time the rest of the family was ready to head for bed; their son wanted to stay.

 

there's a ton of stories of possible drugging on the resorts in and around playa.

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GringoSalado

GringoSalado 1652

Posted
Posted
42 minutes ago, markstanco said:

http://fox2now.com/2018/04/13/14-killed-in-bloody-36-hours-as-violence-rocks-tourist-hot-spot-cancun/

 

This is odd.  The killings happened on April 4th and 5th, but if you google "cancun" all the news stories are today and yesterday. 

Sounds like they covered it up very well for a good week.

Lots of times the press doesn't publish anything until they commiserate w/ the gangs. Reporters tired of being decapitated I guess.

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted

Yep. Will be in Isla & south of Playa with the family in June. Not worried. 
For the people like buddha who wonder why people still go there, it's because it's a fantastic area to visit, & this violence is targeted to people involved in the drug trade. Don't mess with them or deal with them, just like anywhere else including the U.S, and you have little to worry about. Of course you have to exercise caution and common sense just like you would in, say, N.O., Orlando, LA, DC, or any number other fairly 'dangerous' places that are also popular tourist destinations. 

My wife & I (no pics this time) have traveled throughout that area probably at least 30 times in the last 22 years, and have never once felt even remotely threatened. We started taking our boys with us about 12 years ago, when our oldest was 2.

 

 

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
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3 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

The driving in Quintana Roo is much scarier than the cartels.

Hasn't been bad for me driving in Cancun and down the coast to and in PdC, PA, Akumal, & Tulum. Where was it bad for you?

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Shmitty

Shmitty 112

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I'm still amazed at the number of people that go on a vacation in Mexico.  Aren't there plenty of other beaches in North America where you're not warned to never leave the resort?

I tried not leaving the safe confines of the Compton/Long Beach resort.

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10961

Posted
Posted
Just now, wood said:

Hasn't been bad for me driving in Cancun and down the coast to and in PdC, PA, Akumal, & Tulum. Where was it bad for you?

CUN -> Puerto Juarez

The usual for anything from Matamoros to Ushuaia with ignoring red lights, tailgating motorcycles at 100kph, etc...

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10961

Posted
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7 minutes ago, Stella Link said:

You would think when the murders and crap start hitting the tourist areas, the Mexican government will finally do something about it.  

The corruption is far too deep to really do anything about it and CDMX is far from QR, Guerrero, or Baja California where the tourist dollars are so crucial. The leaders in the capital care about tourism of course, but with limited anti-corruption efforts I think they prioritize the 20.4 million in the capital region over a few hundred thousand elsewhere. That'll leave it up to the individual states that have less power and even less willpower to fuck with the cartels individually. Hell the leading candidate to be the next president has platformed on forgiveness for those in the cartels and his cry was "Abrazos, no balazos".

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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1188

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1 hour ago, GhostRider said:

Article from April 4:

Cartel violence in Cancun continues in 2018 with 98 homicides registered in the first three months of the year.

And yeah, they're all drug cartel related deaths.  But that's still a lot of murders in one area.

 

 

I get the cause for concern but it would be like people going to Chicago to a Cubs game being worried about getting shot.  

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BottleRocket

BottleRocket 647

Posted
Posted

We just booked a trip to Cancun for August.  Wife is not going to be happy about this.  She's been going on and on about the Cancun mayor that got whacked by the cartels about 10 years ago.  I finally talked her into going because of the recent bombings in Austin.   Making the case that you aren't really safe anywhere - even at home.   Now this shit.  FML.  Seriously, she is going to want to cancel the trip.

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GhostRider

GhostRider 169

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, JimmyHoffa said:

 

I get the cause for concern but it would be like people going to Chicago to a Cubs game being worried about getting shot.  

Oh, I'm right there with you.  I have a yearly trip to Cozumel with some friends and I'm not about to give that up.  You give me the choice between Cancun and Chicago and I'll chose Cancun every time.

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, JimmyHoffa said:

 

I get the cause for concern but it would be like people going to Chicago to a Cubs game being worried about getting shot.  

Este. There are plenty of very popular places just as violent here in the U.S. You're never 100% safe anywhere. Just use your common sense and you should be fine almost anywhere.

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted (edited)
40 minutes ago, PRONG HORN said:

Who still goes to Mexico?  There are so many cheap sunny beaches in other countries within a few hours reach.

Miliions of people every year. Can't think of any beaches nearly as pretty or nice, that are as close or inexpensive as the Yucatan/QR, esp for us here in Texas.

Edited by wood
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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26476

Posted
Posted

I love Mexico. There is a reason it's cheap. Corruption is not a bug in the system, it is a feature.

When it was New Spain, the old Spaniards knew how their officials would try to line their own pockets. So they'd send out agents of the King to hold the Viceroy's feet to the fire, (maybe) not literally. Sorta worked.

Spaniards been gone 200 years.

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Robin Masters

Robin Masters 122

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Posted (edited)

Remember when you always won a TRIP TO ACAPULCO on Wheel of Fortune, along with some mink from Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills? Recall the cliff divers on Wide World of Sports. Now its largely a no go because of cartel violence. I went to a music festival in PdC 2 years ago. Last year there was a shootout at the entrance to a festival event. Security guards and cartel drug dealers shot it out. Mexico's response? They banned the music festival. This year it reincarnated in Tulum. Ever took a ferry boat out of PdC? You do realize a bomb went off on one of those a month or two ago right? How was that aimed only at drug dealers?

It's reallllly naive to think it was safe before its still safe now, it's only the cartels shooting it out, I will be totally safe.

Of course I also want you to stop going so condo prices can collapse and I can scoop something up.

Edited by Robin Masters
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Longhornmaniac8

Longhornmaniac8 255

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8 minutes ago, wood said:

Miliions of people every year. Can't think of any beaches nearly as pretty or nice, that are as close or inexpensive as the Yucatan/QR, esp for us here in Texas.

Belize, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos. Shit, Siesta Key in Sarasota is the nicest beach I've been to in this hemisphere maybe with the exception of Orient Beach in Saint Martin. 

Your point is valid about ease of access for Texas, but beyond that, it's pretty damn easy to get to any of those places from airports in Texas. Sure, the flight is an hour longer, but that's about the extent of the differences.

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted (edited)

Who said we'd be totally safe? We're never totally safe anywhere. We don't spend much time in Cancun. We just pass through it on our way to Isla or the cenotes & beaches down south. I'm pretty sure we're safer in those places than we generally are in Austin, Houston, Dallas, etc. I'm 100% sure we're safer on Isla than just about anywhere else we ever are.

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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, Longhornmaniac8 said:

Belize, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos. Shit, Siesta Key in Sarasota is the nicest beach I've been to in this hemisphere maybe with the exception of Orient Beach in Saint Martin. 

Your point is valid about ease of access for Texas, but beyond that, it's pretty damn easy to get to any of those places from airports in Texas. Sure, the flight is an hour longer, but that's about the extent of the differences.

Belize is nice for the beaches & diving, of course, but afaik it's no safer than Mx. T&C, CR, both much farther and more expensive to get to than CUN. We do plan to get back to CR soon with the boys though & Siesta looks very nice, but I doubt we could do it cheaper than we do Mx for comparable accommodations. Vieques was pretty nice in PR when we went, before the island got pretty much destroyed. But that was a pretty long haul compared to the flight to CUN. All fucking day in planes or airports. Not much better for any of the islands over there, but some of them are very nice. I personally am very partial to the Latin flavor of Mx though. 

Edited by wood
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wood

wood 11286

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Why do you savage Texans book summer vacation trips to Mexico?

This site is full of heathens compared to the last one

We had multiple long-running threads there re: travel to QR.

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Stella Link

Stella Link 534

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

I would be more interested in seeing Acapulco now, than Cancun. It would have some (1950s) history, as well as fewer gringos. I figure the A-level crooks go where the most tourists are now.

 

Used to love to go to Acapulco.  Always stayed at the Las Brisas...lots of history.

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