Cartel gunmen on jet skis kill victim at luxury beach hotel in Cancun

A group of armed men on jet skis stopped at one of Cancun’s luxury hotels, shot an unknown man and fled before authorities could arrive. The shooting is just one of many that have taken place at the popular beach resort in recent months as rival drug cartels wage a fierce turf war.

The shooting took place on Wednesday morning on the private beach of the Riu Hotel in Cancun, Mexico’s Noticaribe.mx reported. The shooting took place in the luxurious beach area of Cancun, where several posh hotels with private beaches line a beach promenade.

At least two gunmen walked up to the unidentified victim, shot him multiple times and then ran to a nearby hotel, where they got on their jet skis and ran away across the water.

When first responders arrived, the victim was already dead. A subsequent search by Mexican authorities yielded no results.

Despite efforts by the Mexican government to suppress negative news, Cancun has become a hotspot for violence in recent years as rival drug cartels battle for control of drug distribution and the lucrative sex trade. Although most murders occur in the downtown area, away from the beach resorts, as Breitbart Texas reported, murders in resort areas and trendy nightclubs are becoming increasingly common.

In July, a group of armed men shot and killed a 12-year-old boy who was vacationing with his family in the same beach area, Noticaribe.mx reported at the time. The boy was not targeted but was caught in the crossfire when a group of gunmen on jet skis collided with another group of gunmen. The gunmen were from rival drug gangs fighting over the local drug trade.

In August, a group of cartel gunmen threw a grenade at a luxury apartment complex called Koa Towers in Cancun, Breitbart Texas reported. Although the device did not explode, it caused widespread panic as authorities had to seal off the area until armed forces could safely retrieve the explosive, which was described as a fragmentation grenade.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project along with Brandon Darby and Breitbart senior management. You can follow him Tweet and on Facebook. He can be reached via [email protected].

Brandon Darby is president and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project along with Ildefonso Ortiz and Breitbart senior management. Follow him further Tweet And Facebook. He can be reached via [email protected].