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April 4, 2023 | 9:28 p.m
The slayings of four men found dead near a beachside resort in Cancun on Monday are likely related to a drug gang rivalry in the area, officials said Tuesday.
Quintana Roo authorities say notorious gang leader Hector Flores Aceves, known as “Pantera” — meaning panther — is involved in the killings and are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Four bodies were discovered near a beach in Cancun’s hotel zone as the city prepares for an influx of tourists traveling to Mexico during Easter week – one of its busiest times of the year.
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed a motive for the killings, however, rival gangs are known to compete in exclusive areas of the resort – seeking to be the only drug dealers to tourists in the vacation spot
Two suspects are in custody for the murders, authorities said, while Flores Aceves remains at large.
Quintana Roo police offered the same $50,000 reward for the arrest of Flores Aceves nearly a year ago when he was wanted for a series of attacks and killings in Cancun bars.
He and a rival are wanted for shootings at two bars on May 6, 2022. Two people were killed and eight were injured in the shooting.
The men — both members of the Sinaloa cartel that split into separate gangs — were “trying to control what they call the ‘market’ to carry out their criminal activities,” Quintana Roo’s police chief said at the time.
The gangs are involved in drug sales, kidnapping, and extorting “protection money” from business owners whom they threaten to kill or injure if they are not paid.
Monday’s killings came days after a US citizen visiting the nearby town of Puerto Morelos was shot in the leg. It is unclear why the tourist was shot.
Last month, the US State Department issued a travel alert warning Americans to “take care” if traveling to Mexico’s buzzing beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum where gang violence is rampant. drug gang in the past.
Last year, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen over debts between international drug cartels and arms trafficking.
Using Post wires
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