Authorities in Mexico are investigating the targeted killing of a Canadian man who had pending arrest warrants in his home country for arms trafficking and human trafficking. The murder took place on Saturday outside a busy shopping plaza in Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, a popular beach destination just a short drive from Cancun.
According to the local news publication Noticaribe, the attack took place when two gunmen riding on a motorcycle pulled up next to a black late model Jeep Grand Cherokee near the Playacar commercial complex and began firing inside. A Canadian man, identified by authorities only as Mathew “N,” was the lone passenger inside the vehicle and died almost immediately.
Despite authorities responding in a matter of minutes, the gunmen managed to escape. Currently, authorities have not identified the gunmen and are attributing the case to a targeted killing connected to organized crime disputes and not a random attack.
As Breitbart Texas reported, in recent years, the once peaceful and popular tourist destination of Cancun and surrounding areas such as Playa Del Carmen and Tulum have seen a rise in violence as rival criminal organizations fight for control of the lucrative drug, sex, and human trafficking trades.
In prior years, the Mexican government’s failure to address the worsening security issue throughout Mexico also manifested itself in the Cancun area with numerous abductions, targeted cartel killings, and shootouts in resort areas where tourists have been injured or 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.
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