Mexican officials are beefing up security patrols at the beaches, bars and nightclubs in Cancún and the state of Quintana Roo where international tourism attracts millions of visitors annually.
Years ago, tourism tanked in Acapulco after drug cartel violence arrived in that iconic city.
Lately there have been incidents of drug-cartel violence in Quintana Roo. Drug cartels, including the huge Sinaloa organization, based far from the Mayan Riviera have sent hundreds of foot soldiers to the area.
In October, two foreign tourists were killed in Tulum when they got caught in gunfire between rival drug 'delincuentes'. At a Hyatt hotel last month in Cancún, two apparent drug traffickers were killed in a shootout.
Officials say the beefed-up patrols have captured a dozen suspected low-level drug dealers.
The arrival of rival drug gangs is resulting from tourists at hotels asking hotel employees how they can obtain cocaine or other illegal drugs. As one hotel employee explained off the record, tourists and drug dealers are being connected because that's what the hotel guests want.
Source... The Washington Post,
"Tourist drug demand is bringing violence
to Mexico's most popular resorts"
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