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Incident Involving British Tourist And Hotel Staff Prompt Fresh Drug Concerns
A British tourist’s experience in Tulum has gone viral after he posted pictures of a hotel cleaner in what appears to be a paralyzed state. The cleaner supposedly took ketamine from the tourist’s bag. The documented event comes just weeks after the government announced its anti-drug program.
If the Twitter feed is to be believed, a British man was in possession of ketamine with the intent to use it for recreational purposes. The sedatives were left in his bag which was rummaged through by a member of the hotel cleaning staff. The staff member in question appears to have found the drugs and ingested the substance.
The tweet has been shared over thirty thousand times on Twitter, while a TikTok showing the same pictures has well over 15 thousand views.
The Tweet suggests the cleaner may have assumed it was a less potent substance like ecstasy but found himself in a near paralyzed state. The tourist entered his room to find the cleaner laying on his bed almost unresponsive. He then proceeded to take pictures of the man, inform the hotel, and then further document the man’s removal from the room.
Ketamine is typically a heavy sedative used by doctors to induce unconsciousness, relax muscles, and other medical benefits. Recreationally, in controlled doses, it can function as a hallucinogen, which is the assumed use intended for the British tourist.
The initial post had been an Instagram story but was subsequently screenshotted and shared on Twitter by a friend of the Brit. The post has sparked debate centered around the ethics of both parties involved. Some have criticized the cleaner for rummaging through a guest’s bag while others have suggested the tourist was already in the wrong for being in possession of the substance.
The incident comes just weeks after the Quintana Roo government installed a new anti-drug initiative warning arriving tourists of the consequences of being found in possession of any illegal substances. The events recorded continue to show that many are not heeding the warnings. It is unknown if the man smuggled the drugs into the country or if he acquired them in Quintana Roo.
At this point, it is unclear if the cleaner felt any repercussions whether criminally or occupationally. The British man appears to be back in his home country, and it’s assumed the tweet most likely went out after his return. Once again, it is unclear if he faced any charges from the hotel.
Controversially, hotels in Quintana Roo are now asking all guests to sign a form acknowledging that drug possession and use are illegal in the state, and posters at the airport indicate lengthy jail sentences for those caught.
The drug problem extends much further than many tourists realize. The uptick in gang violence in Quintana Roo is directly related to the market tourists enable. Multiple organized criminal groups are all vying for the valuable territory, which will remain so until tourists entering the state refrain from drug use.
Over a hundred murders have taken place in the state since the beginning of the year, with the vast majority of them related to organized crime. Tourists entering the country with drugs or attempting to find it in the country are contributing to a much larger and darker atmosphere, just beyond the safety of the hotel zone. Cancun’s future as a safe and desirable destination remains under threat the longer this goes on.
The lighthearted nature with which this incident was shared highlights the careless attitude that many of these visitors have. Comments under the Twitter feed see the man’s contorted face turned into memes or photoshopped onto other images. Many of those commenting, including the initial poster, seem far more perturbed by the man stealing the drugs than the tourist being in possession of ketamine in the first place.
Incidents like this highlight the uphill battle the government faces in its fight against drugs and organized crime.
Tourists entering the country should respect the laws of the country, and try to anticipate the bigger picture and the ramifications of their actions.
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