Mexico’s top law enforcement officer announced the deployment of thousands of police to Mexican beach resorts as cartel violence escalates. The move comes after Mexico experienced its bloodiest year ever with close to 25,000 murders in 2017 alone.
The announcement was made by National Security Commissioner Renato Heredia Sales during a televised speech where he stated that police forces would be deployed to Colima, Baja California, Quintana Roo, and others. Quintana Roo is home to the popular beach resorts Cancun and Playa del Carmen. As Breitbart Texas reported, resorts have seen an escalation of violence as the Sinaloa Cartel begins to feel the pressure from Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and other criminal organizations seeking to control drug trafficking routes and street level distribution. Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, another cartel hotspot, is expected to receive thousands of troops as well while rival cartels battle for turf.
The most recent crime statistics for 2017 revealed Mexico had the highest number of recorded murders since the government began keeping nationwide figures, Breitbart Texas reported.
The escalation in security is expected to arrive in the coming weeks ahead of Spring Break when college-aged tourists frequent the popular beaches. In their strongest-worded message yet, the U.S. Department of State ranked several Mexican states as dangerous as Syria and other Middle Eastern hotspots, Breitbart Texas reported. State warns tourists to be cautious in beach resorts while other areas should be reconsidered entirely.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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