A man who was executed outside a five-star resort in Cancun has been identified as a local drug trafficker who was involved in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy killed on a beach next to the hotel in July.
The victim, a 30-year-old Mexican national, was shot dead in front of the RIU Palace Las Américas hotel on Wednesday afternoon.
Police reports from Cancun indicated that the hitmen arrived on jet skis at Playa Caracol and fired four shots at the rival drug dealer, who was walking near the pool area.
The suspects, wearing black clothing and orange life jackets, fled into the Caribbean Sea.
Hotel workers provided medical assistance to the victim, who died before paramedics arrived.
A 30-year-old suspected drug trafficker was shot dead Wednesday on a beach in front of the RIU Palace Las Américas hotel in the Mexican resort city of Cancun. The Quintana Roo State Attorney General’s Office said the victim was involved in the July 28 shooting on a beach next to the RIU Cancun that left a 12-year-old boy dead.
The RIU Palace Las Américas hotel reported in a statement that workers provided medical assistance to the alleged drug trafficker, 30, who died before paramedics arrived.
The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that the victim was traveling on one of the two jet skis that approached the shores of Playa Caracol, where they confronted rival drug traffickers.
One of the bullets hit the stomach of Santiago, 12 years old, who was sitting in a beach chair several meters from the RIU Cancún hotel. The boy, originally from Mexico City, was rushed to an area hospital, where he died.
Two drug traffickers from rival groups were arrested during an operation on August 4.
Footage of Wednesday’s shooting showed worried guests milling around in the lobby of the RIU Palace Las Americas.
A man who was on vacation in Chile told Chilean television TL13 that he was with a group swimming when the suspects started shooting.
‘We were in the water, there were probably 10 Chileans in the sea and suddenly a jet ski arrived,’ he recalled. ‘He stops on the shore, picks up someone, that person runs and someone comes from behind and from that dock they shoot him. And he died there, in the sea.
Mexican authorities linked the murder of a 30-year-old man at the RIU Palace Las Américas hotel to a dispute between rival drug traffickers
The victim was confirmed by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Quintana Roo as a 30-year-old Mexican citizen.
The Chilean said the atmosphere at the resort was normal about an hour after the trafficker’s execution.
‘We all ran towards the sand. “That happened about an hour ago and it’s just now returning a little to normal,” he said. ‘They let us go out, to get things for those of us who had something here. First the police arrived, the military arrived, everything was very busy.’
In an email to DailyMail.com, a hotel spokesperson said none of the guests were injured in the incident.
“Our team immediately activated safety and emergency protocols, working closely with municipal and state authorities to provide timely care to the injured person, who is not a RIU guest,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to communicate and cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities to support in any way necessary to ensure the safety of all our guests and employees,” they said. ‘We reiterate our commitment to the safety and well-being of our guests, employees and the community.’
The US State Department lists the state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun and Tulum, another tourist hotspot, at a level two warning level, meaning tourists should use extra caution when visiting.
“While Mexican authorities strive to safeguard the country’s main resort and resort areas, those areas have not been immune to the types of violence and crime experienced in other parts of Mexico,” the warning states.
‘In some areas of Mexico, the response time of local police is often slow. Additionally, filing police reports can be time-consuming. Increasing levels of cartel-related violence have resulted in turf wars and targeted assassinations, injuring or killing innocent bystanders.’