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Last Thursday, police officers arrested three individuals on charges of drug possession in Tulum’s popular Bagatelle restaurant. The criminals, two men and one woman, have been identified as 28-year-old Edgar N, 21-year-old Ari N and 32-year-old Monica N from Mexico City.
All three were detained after they were found with large amounts of marijuana on their person. In addition to these packages, police discovered four bags containing green and white pills, as well as an illegal payment terminal with a blue card. A special investigation has since been launched by Quintana Roo authorities to determine if the detainees planned to sell drugs to tourists circulating in the area.
Quintana Roo’s Secretary of Public Security, Oscar Alberto Aparicio Avendano, stated that the dealers were immediately taken to an agent of the State Attorney General’s Office to pursue the case further.
Bagatelle is just a 10-minute drive away from Tulum’s hotel zone and is frequented by tourists on a regular basis for its excellent French and Mediterranean dishes. The popular restaurant has two locations in Mexico, the second being in Los Cabos. Bagatelle is recognised as an international sensation, with 12 other restaurants worldwide, including St. Tropez, Miami, Buenos Aires, Dubai and New York.
Bagatelle Tulum opened in December of 2020 and has since been awarded the title of favourite ‘French Restaurant – Fine Dining’ at the FACT Dining Awards in both 2020 and 2021.
Bagatelle Tulum also has an astonishing set of reviews on Trip Advisor, with the majority of patrons praising the delicious food and excellent service. Up until this moment, the restaurant has not publicly reported any prior instances of drug-related activity or crime on its premises, upholding a stellar reputation.
Unfortunately, the recent arrest at Bagatelle is only one of many made in Tulum during the past few months: In June, 9 drug dealers were arrested throughout Tulum’s Hotel Zone after being caught with the intention to sell multiple narcotics to tourists. The arrests occurred due to an intelligence operation by the Tulum Police force and National Guard, which hoped to shed light on drug-trafficking networks in tourist circles.
Some of the detainees were even arrested at another popular tourist restaurant in Tulum, which remains unnamed in the media. The similarities between the Bagatelle restaurant arrests and this case show that much work is still needed to prevent drug dealers from operating in Tulum.
Alongside Bagatelle, numerous other tourist-frequented restaurants near Tulum have been affected by rising crime rates this summer. Multiple restaurants in Quintana Roo’s tourist hotspots have been the target of criminal gangs, during an upsurge of drug dealing and fraud throughout the region. In July, several new restaurants in the Cancun area were threatened by gangs who stated they would launch an armed attack on the restaurant if restaurant owners didn’t pay them.
This led several new businesses and eateries to close down, rather than face potential repercussions for not paying gang members. To avoid becoming entangled in drug cases, the US and UK governments have warned all visitors travelling to Quintana Roo to ensure they do not buy drugs or bring drugs into the state. Drug offences have serious repercussions in Mexico, including 10 months to 3 years for possession and 3 to 6 years for selling drugs.
As always, tourists should report any suspicious activity in the hotel zone or nearby restaurants to local authorities, who will be able to conduct an investigation and detain those causing harm.
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