Canadian Killed in Mexican Resort Tied to Vietnamese Mafia, Say Police

Mexican authorities revealed the shooting of three Canadians at a luxurious resort in the Mayan Riviera is linked to an apparent organized crime dispute. One of the fatal victims was a relative and alleged money launderer for a top Vietnamese mafia leader operating in Canada.

The shooting took place Friday afternoon at a luxurious resort in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera, approximately 40 miles from Cancun, where a lone gunman approached three Canadian tourists and shot them before making an escape. Two died from their injuries.

In the days after the shooting, the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office identified one of the victims as Robert James Dinh, a Canadian citizen wanted on money laundering charges. According to Mexican authorities, Dinh is a blood relative of Cong Dinh, a man identified as a top leader in the Vietnamese mafia operating in the U.S. and Canada. In 2019, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police offered a $50,000 reward for Cong Dinh and identified his organization as a major player in the Canadian drug trade with ties to Mexico, Australia, California, and Vietnam, the Vancouver Sun reported.

Mexican authorities also revealed the murder was planned since an unknown individual delivered the firearm to the gunman. Both of those individuals remain at large.

In recent months, Caribbean resort areas including Cancun, Tulum, and Playa Del Carmen have seen a rise in violence as rival organizations fight for control of the local drug trade and routes into Mexico. While most of the violence takes place away from tourist hotspots, there have been recent cases where gunmen clashed near hotels and high-profile destinations. In some cases, tourists were killed.

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.