Drug Violence near Cancun

[lamont]

There are cartel related deaths in Quintana Roo and Yucatan as well as in many other parts of Mexico (although less so than in other states such as Sinaola), but if you don't work for a cartel, there is no reason why you'd become a target.

A few years back there were some threads on here about how there would never be any of the drug-related violence in Q. Roo. Now there is drug-related violence in Q. Roo. The claim is now that it'll never spill over into affecting American touristas, but I'd prefer to keep my eyes open. Kidnapping-for-profit is very big in Mexico, and while it hasn't spilled over to touristas, I don't see any law of physics that it can't.

 

[driftwood]

Kidnapping is big business in Mexico and a full half of the cases involve the local police. The locals are not ignorant. The life blood of the region is tourism and the first incident of a tourist being held for ransom will be the death of the goose that laid the golden egg.

This current act of terrorism was not directed toward guests in Mexico. Purely domestic consumption, and too bad if it makes us nervous from their point of view.

 

[DandyDon]

Excerpted from Mexican authorities recover 55 bodies from mine shaft - CNN.com

One of the six was identified as Isaias Valenzuela Ruiz, who was the head of security at Playa del Carmen and had been reported as missing five days ago.

 

[Spratman]

I've never understood that rationale, Drift. We have a time share at CIC (aka VCI). I told them that the prices were ridiculous, the 30% occupancy is stupid. If you are already having a problem filling units, the raising the prices will just further cut your occupancy rate. $10 for a burger?! When I go down again, I will not be staying at CIC.

We've already had cases in Texas when Americans have been shot and killed over the border and they had no connection whatsoever to drug dealings. While I agree the Hotel Zone is pretty safe, I still like to go downtown to the restaurants. If they kidnapped me, they wouldn't get a damn thing, since I don't have anything....

 

[driftwood]

I've never understood that rationale, Drift. We have a time share at CIC (aka VCI). I told them that the prices were ridiculous, the 30% occupancy is stupid. If you are already having a problem filling units, the raising the prices will just further cut your occupancy rate. $10 for a burger?! When I go down again, I will not be staying at CIC.

We've already had cases in Texas when Americans have been shot and killed over the border and they had no connection whatsoever to drug dealings. While I agree the Hotel Zone is pretty safe, I still like to go downtown to the restaurants. If they kidnapped me, they wouldn't get a damn thing, since I don't have anything....

The last time we went to Akumal the prices in all the restaurants had gone up by at least 33%. I realize that they have fixed costs and fewer patrons to bear the burden, but give me a break. I know that an 8 pack of Fudd hot dogs is 8-9 pesos and all they get by charging 60 pesos is an angry customer who is not very likely to return.

Trust me on this one, there is no comparison with what is going on along the border to what is happening around Cancun.

 

[Kevrumbo]

But I also read in my paper that 4 were killed in Miami and 3 wounded. So that doesn't seem much different to me.

Also I live in the Houston area and heard about people be killed here everyday.

On the comparison note. No one was killed or tortured in the Florida Keys last night.(plus no oil)

And stop already with the inane, naive ancecdotes and comparisons to big city US crime --we're talking Third World Country with an unreliable and/or overwhelmed Gov't law enforcement infrastructure at the moment, should you happen to get in trouble on Mexican soil. . .

The US Gov't & Civil Law Enforcement Infrastructure is in much better shape and more reliable than Mexico's or any other Third World Country, should you ever be in trouble or need any aid/assistance. . . (Note: The Republican Party would probably contest the above statement right now)

"If the water and food in a country are suspect, take similar precautions with the law. . ." RulesofThumb.org - Homepage

 

[lamont]

Kidnapping is big business in Mexico and a full half of the cases involve the local police. The locals are not ignorant. The life blood of the region is tourism and the first incident of a tourist being held for ransom will be the death of the goose that laid the golden egg.

This current act of terrorism was not directed toward guests in Mexico. Purely domestic consumption, and too bad if it makes us nervous from their point of view.

Tourism is the lifeblood, and I'm certain is the source of the money that goes into the drug trade around Cancun. I'm actually a little surprised already that the drug trade around Cancun hasn't been better "regulated" -- I would have expected that the bulk of the politicians, police and hotel owners were connected to it some way or another, or at least openly tolerated it, so long as it didn't spill over into this kind of violence.

However, you're assuming that drug dealers are rational by your definitions. It may make more rational sense to them to cut the baby in two so that the other guy doesn't get it. It may make more rational sense to negatively impact tourism in order to gain from large kidnapping payouts. I don't buy the logic that "it can't happen because it would negatively impact the tourism" as being a law of economic gravity.

Right now its all on the periphery and there's no direct impact to tourism at all, so I still wouldn't think twice about booking a trip to go cavediving. But, I'm still watching and assessing the situation there, and I'm not naive enough to think it can't get worse.

 

[Spratman]

Fudd hotdogs!!?? :shocked2: Man, my son bought some of those in the resort store. There isn't anyway to cook, fry or incinerate them and have them taste good....We still make fun of those things all the time...

 

[Pez de Diablo]

<snip>
The big difference is disclosure. Our US news media may not be dependable, but at least they have the rights and desires to publish info, and we have the Free of Info to fall back on if needed.,

Trust me, it is in all the local papers. I think the reason it seems to be suppressed is that it is published in Spanish thus harder to make it onto the English online news sources.

Four drug war deaths happened on Cozumel a couple of years ago too. I didn't feel any less safe going there, but I wanted full info - which was difficult to obtain, and then that thread vanished from the Coz forum without notice to the thread originator?!

Never good when we censor ourselves.

 

[Pez de Diablo]

Fudd hotdogs!!?? :shocked2: Man, my son bought some of those in the resort store. There isn't anyway to cook, fry or incinerate them and have them taste good....We still make fun of those things all the time...

Remember in spanish pronounce the U as oooo. Like in moon. So here Fudd is pronounced more like Food. Totally wrong.