A Separate Incident On The Same Day Saw One Person Murdered With Another Seriously Injured
A popular Cancun tour group found themselves under attack from armed robbers who were able to steal $25 thousand from the vehicle. A separate incident on the same day added to Cancun’s death toll on what has been a bloody week for the resort town.
According to reports, employees of the popular local tour provider, Adventours, were driving a company vehicle in Playa del Carmen. The employees were moving a large sum of company cash, presumably to deposit in a bank or bring to the business headquarters, when they were intercepted by two motorcycles. The amount in their possession was around five hundred thousand pesos. This equates to around $25 thousand in American currency at the time of writing.
In broad daylight, at around noon, the motorcyclists revealed firearms and forced the vehicle to stop with the threat of being shot. Several witnesses have claimed the thieves fired multiple shots into the air before opening the car door, taking the money, and fleeing the scene. The entire ordeal was over in a matter of seconds.
The events leave some suspicious questions unanswered. The theft was blatantly targeted. It is extremely unlikely that two criminals stumbled upon such a large sum of money by chance. Some thieves in the area have been known to loiter near banks, waiting for people to withdraw significant sums of money. Once a target has been acquired, the criminals will follow the victim until it’s possible to attack successfully. Many go as far as to follow the victims home, which often results in tragedy.
A lack of information at this time means it is unknown where the employees were going and coming from. It is hoped inside information was not given to the criminals from another employee.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident. This was not the case for multiple people around Cancun this week. The resort town has had a particularly violent few days, with Tuesday seeing five homicides in under twenty-four hours. One particularly brutal incident saw a minor executed and a pregnant woman left in serious condition after an attack in a popular seafood restaurant in the Downtown Cancun area.
Another motorcycle attack left yet another person murdered, with one more seriously hurt and currently in hospital in intensive care.
According to reports, the attack took place in the Galaxias del Sol area of Cancun. Although no theft was reported, the assailants arrived at the private street on a motorcycle, targeting two currently unidentified men. Multiple shots were fired, killing one of the men instantly. The other man received first aid at the scene before being transported to the nearest hospital for further care.
At this time, no motive is available, as with several other murders this week. But it is likely the attacks are all linked to organized crime. In the brutal give and take of Cancun’s criminal world, assassinations are becoming more and more frequent. Whether revenge killings or warnings to other gang members, there have been over one hundred and forty murders since the beginning of the year, placing Cancun on the list of one of the most dangerous cities on the planet.
Tourists still avoid the vast majority of the violence, but the town has seen an uptick in tourist-related crime too. Weeks ago, armed chiefs stormed a beach in Cancun, while restaurants and bars in the Downtown area have been regularly attacked. Any tourists in these areas when incidents occur can find themselves at risk.
Tourists should remain vigilant and avoid walking around the city at night, in line with advice from the US secretary of state.
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