Gunmen Shoot Three in Tourist Bar near Cancun

Three gunmen fired into one of the most popular bars in Playa del Carmen, a beach destination approximately 40 miles from Cancun.

The shooting took place in the downtown upscale bar called Mandala. Three gunmen walked up to the bar and began shooting. Three waiters were injured, Noticaribe reported.
According to the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office, the shooting took place after business hours.

 

Authorities rushed to the scene and managed to capture one of the gunmen identified as Angel “N” as he was trying to hide in the beach area. During the arrest, police ultimately found two handguns. Authorities believe the shooting is linked to a turf war over drug sales in the bar.

In recent months, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the Mayan Riviera have all seen a spike in violence as cartels fight for control of the local drug and sex trade.

In August, two tourists were shot at a bar called the Roof along Playa Del Carmen’s 5^th Avenue, local news outlets reported.

In July, gunmen shot into a crowd of shoppers injuring three tourists also near 5^th Avenue, local news reported.

One of the more dramatic shootings took place in May 2019, when gunmen shot 12 people at a bar called Cerveceria Cuauhtémoc in Playa del Carmen.

In January 2019, gunmen murdered seven at a small bar in the inner city part of Cancun. The mass killing took part in an area that is not commonly visited by tourists.

-In January 2017, a similar attack took place during a techno music festival in Playa del Carmen. During that mass shooting, 13 victims died and seven others were injured. That shooting was directly linked to the local distribution of drugs.

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.