An increase in cartel-related violence is causing havoc in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

It’s no secret that Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is one of the most popular vacation spots in all of Mexico. However, it has also developed into a significant drug distribution center. According to officials, four local city employees were discovered fatally shot, stuffed inside a car, and their bodies displayed signs of torture.

Local traffic police officers in a city’s middle-class district made the sickening discovery. Vice reported authorities in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo confirmed that they are looking into the murders but supplied no additional information regarding the motive or potential suspects.

The men worked for the municipal inspection office in Playa del Carmen, which is responsible for enforcing regulations related to the sale or use of drugs, the presence of minors, and the issuance of business licenses in the city.

Playa del Carmen is now a popular destination for tourists from the United States and Canada traveling to Mexico. It has also become a major drug distribution center, with drug lords from all over the world setting up shop and frequently resorting to shootouts to settle scores.

The Gulf Cartel, the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG for its Spanish acronym), the Sinaloa Cartel, and a smaller organization known as Grupo Regional, a cartel formed of former Zetas cartel members and neighborhood street gangs, have all been identified by authorities as operating in the greater Cancun area as NewsNation reported.

When two Canadians were shot and killed at a popular hotel in Playa del Carmen in 2022, it sparked widespread panic among visitors and brought attention to the area’s drug-related violence, notes Reuters.

National Guard troops numbering in the hundreds were sent to patrol the beach by the Mexican government at that point in an effort to prevent another violent attack. To combat drug use among foreign visitors to the beaches of Quintana Roo, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also began an initiative that year.

“Don’t put yourself at risk. Drug dealers at beaches and nightclubs will get you into trouble. They are not your friends. They’re criminals,” reads the alert posted at each hotel in the state of Quintana Roo, which includes Tulum and Cancun. All guests must sign before being allowed to check in.

Travel hotspots like Tulum, Cancun, and Playa del Carmen are notorious for catering to the drug trade for foreign tourists, who frequently have more disposable income than locals.

According to a recent Detour article, the US has issued Mexico with the strictest “do not travel” advice, so spring breakers should exercise caution. This is in response to reports of an increase in threats of “crime and kidnapping.” According to findings, cartel activity has been detected in a number of resorts, including those that were once thought to be safe places.

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all.

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This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 9:15 AM.