15 people arrested in connection with shooting at Tulum restaurant
The detainees were allegedly involved in the armed attack on the restaurant "La Malquerida" in recent days in the resort town of Tulum.
Forces of the three levels of government that coordinate to combat insecurity in Tulum, conducted searches of three properties in this tourist center, where they arrested 15 people from a criminal cell that operated in this tourist destination, who were seized cartridges and drugs, and who were allegedly involved in the armed attack executed at the restaurant "La Malquerida" in recent days.
According to the official report, investigative actions allow establishing that the places where the raids were carried out, two bars and a gym, are related to one of the groups of drug dealers who participated in the attack with firearms on October 20 at the restaurant.
It was informed that as a result of field and cabinet works and through different actions in the municipality of Tulum, the Attorney General's Office of the State of Quintana Roo supported by the Coordination Group for the Construction of Peace and Security formed by the Quintana Roo Police, SEDENA, MARINA, National Guard, executed search warrants in three properties and secured 15 people, different quantities and types of drugs and 123 9 millimeters casings.
The toxic substances -with the characteristics of marijuana, crack and cocaine- were seized and the detainees were placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office assigned to the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Investigation of Crimes against Health in its Modality of Drug Trafficking for their probable participation in the commission of crimes against health.
The three search warrants were served in a restaurant bar called "El Cañón" located on Crocodile Street, in a gymnasium on Osiris Street, and a bar on Beta Street in the vicinity of Tulum; the first two were secured. These establishments were used by one of the criminal groups involved in the aggression with gunshots at the restaurant "La Malquerida" on Wednesday, October 20 in the municipality of Tulum.
Authorities informed that investigations will continue and that with actions such as these, the Attorney General's Office of the State of Quintana Roo complies with its constitutional mandate to investigate, identify, capture, and bring to court those who attempt against the physical integrity of the people of Quintana Roo and their visitors.
Among those arrested, the following have been identified: Germán "C", Jesús "C", Neltri "L", Irene "R", Abraham "Z", Alejandro "R", José "A", Maximiliano "D", Jhosep "E", Edwin "C", Vicente "A", Gabriel "V", Elías "H", Carlos "G" and José "I". Check out the photos here.
Crime "has been on the rise in terms of extortion, in the sale of narcotics to foreigners or nationals," the prosecutor's office said in a statement about the raid. The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has great expectations for Tulum, where he has announced plans to build an international airport and a stop for the Mayan Train, which will run along the Yucatán peninsula.
After the shooting, Tulum is shielded, but insecurity affects tourism
In the state of Quintana Roo, a total of 320 elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the Navy (Semar), the National Guard, state police and municipal police arrived in the downtown and hotel zone of Tulum. The arrival of the federal forces is in response to the violent events of Wednesday, October 20, when two foreign tourists lost their lives and three others were wounded during a shootout. The president of the Tulum Hotel Association, David Ortiz Mena, acknowledged that what happened a week ago caused a 20% drop in reservations.
"It would be difficult. There would be hotels that could tell me 20%, there are hotels that say they had no effect on sales. It also depends a lot on the market they are targeting and what we have today is a market recommendation from the German government to stay in the hotels. In other words, you can visit the destination, they recommend it or they prefer people to stay in the hotels".
David Ortiz Mena, President of the Hotel Association of Tulum, Quintana Roo.
Given the travel alert issued by the German Government, the hotel leader admitted that they perceived a slowdown in sales that was already beginning to normalize thanks to the green color of the state and federal epidemiological traffic light.
"More than cancellations, we could say that we noticed a certain deceleration in the sales that were being made. In our destination, already in green, both in the federal and state traffic light, it was beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels. European countries were beginning to return to our destination in a significant way as of this month, so this is very unfortunate".
The German government recommended extreme caution to its nationals visiting Tulum and Playa del Carmen, after the murder of a German woman and a visitor from India, following a confrontation between criminals linked to drug dealing.
