Authorities in Cancun arrested 15 gunmen and rescued a kidnapping victim following an afternoon clash in the beach resort hub.
The case took place on Tuesday afternoon when authorities raided a stash house that was being used by gunmen to hold kidnapping victims. According to the local news outlet NotiCaribe, as police forces neared the house, gunmen began shooting. While authorities were able to rescue one kidnapping victim and arrested several gunmen, a second victim was found dead. A member of Mexico’s national guard was injured and a gunman died.
The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office revealed that the case began earlier in the day when authorities were able to intercept six gunmen in two vehicles who had been linked to other violent crimes. The gunmen led authorities to the stash house where the victims were kept.
The high-profile shootout in Cancun comes at a time when the popular tourist resort area is seeing a dramatic spike in violence. Earlier this month, gunmen shot and killed two men outside a hotel on the same day that the city saw two more shootouts and a kidnapping.
Despite assurances by public officials in Quintana Roo, the violence is getting worse. While not a drug trafficking route, the once peaceful resort hub is considered a hotspot for criminal organizations and their protection rackets.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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