Mexican authorities found four people dead near a popular tourist hotel in Cancun on Monday.
Three bodies were found in a lot near the beachside hotel and a fourth body was eventually spotted in the undergrowth in the same lot, according to Mexican authorities. Two suspects have been arrested for their possible involvement, Mexican authorities said in a statement.
All the deceased are Mexicans who were allegedly distributing and selling narcotics, Secretary of Public Security of Benito Juárez José Pablo Mathey Cruz told CNN.
“We heard the shots and they hid all of us in an office and they kept us there until the incident was over. Everyone kept us there until they secured the area, and right now there are police, the Navy, everyone, everyone in the beach area and it’s very uncomfortable for us,” Polo Gallegos, a tourist, told CNN. (RELATED: Biden Admin Praises Mexico After Their President Denied Any Fentanyl Comes From Country)
Authorities in the Mexican resort of Cancun said they have found four dead bodies in the city’s hotel zone near the beach.
The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos. https://t.co/GmUwx0QmZU pic.twitter.com/rMp5YchO5k
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 4, 2023
Last week, a U.S. tourist was shot in Quintana Roo, just south of Cancun, according to CBS. The suspects shot the tourist in the leg in the middle of the night. It was not a life-threatening injury, and the suspects’ motive is still unknown, according to CBS.
The U.S. State Department released a travel advisory in Oct. 2022, warning citizens to exercise extreme caution when visiting Quintana Roo State, where Cancun is located.
“Criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations,” the advisory said. It continues, “U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.”
In March 2023, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico reshared the October U.S. State Department travel advisory, warning American citizens of the potential dangers of traveling to Mexico for spring break. The alert came a week after two Americans were found dead in Mexico.