News sources report that a man was executed in front of the Hotel Ibis about 11:00 a.m. this morning. The hotel is located in a high commercial traffic area at the intersection of Tulum and la Nichupté avenues. Witnesses told police that a group of armed men in a SUV opened fire on the male victim, who died at the scene. He has not yet been identified, and there are no arrests or suspects.
Update Mar. 28:
Yesterday's shooting victim still hasn't been identified. Witnesses say he was chased by several armed men who fired repeatedly. The man fell in front of the Ibis, where the gunmen approached and shot him at least four times at point blank range. The victim suffered 11 wounds, all of them from .9 mm rounds. The shooters then fled in a vehicle. Cancún authorities say it's a clear case of an organized crime "adjustment of accounts." Los Zetas and Los Pelones are the two primary such groups in the area. Both of them are involved in narcotics trafficking, with Los Pelones focused more on street sales in many Riviera Maya neighborhoods. The Pelones have also carved out a reputation as particularly brutal executioners-for-hire. This is the 9th such murder in Cancún in 2012.
Update Mar. 31: The victim was today identified as Ricardo Daniel Rodríguez Villasana, 21, originally from Monclova, in Coahuila state. His parents said that Villasana previously was a student at the University of Monterrey in northern Mexico. But about six months ago he went to Cancún for a few days of vacation, and ended up staying. They told police that they thought he had a restaurant job, as many Mexicans do in the tourist-based economy, and that they communicated with him only occasionally. In comments to the press the local prosecutor claimed the execution was carried out by Los Zetas, and theorized that the young victim was involved in drug sales for the organization, perhaps withholding money.
Update Apr. 8: Authorities now offer a different assessment of Rodríguez Villasana. They say he worked for Los Zetas, and was killed by Los Pelones, a competitor organization, in retaliation. A Zetas executioner arrested several days ago claims the young man's murder has ignited a full scale war between the rival groups. Los Zetas executioner arrested near Hotel Oasis Cancún: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/04/los-zetas-execution-squad-arrested-at.html.
Update Apr. 29, 2012 - A contract executioner who worked for both Los Pelones and Los Matazetas has confessed to these murders, say Cancún police. He was arrested April 25.
Los Pelones killer in Cancún also may have been hit man for Los Matazetas: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/04/los-pelones-killer-arrested-in-cancun.html.
Mexico's Caribbean Riviera Maya in the hands of drug cartels and extortionists: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/02/mexicos-caribbean-riviera-maya-in-hands.html.
Cancún narco violence claims another victim in 2012: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/02/cancun-narco-violence-claims-fifth.html.
Will Los Zetas destroy the economy of Mexico's Riviera Maya?
2012 Spring Breakers cancel Cancún travel plans: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-break-nears-but-us-students-are.html#more.
Drugs float ashore at Playa del Carmen: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/02/drugs-float-ashore-on-playa-del-carmen.html.
American tourist, 15, sexually assaulted in five-star Cancún hotel: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/01/american-tourist-15-sexually-assaulted.html.
Who's running Quintana Roo, anyway? http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/los-zetas-are-taking-over-cancun-playa.html.
300 Q.R. businesses fold in 2011, facing ubiquitous extortion: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/300-businesses-close-in-cancun-riviera.html.
Can promotion of gay wedding industry check rising Los Zetas effect? http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/can-quintana-roo-state-save-itself-from.html.
Travel
Business is booming in Quintana Roo: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/01/despite-drug-violence-quintana-roo.html.
Cancun #1 choice of U.S. travelers: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/01/cancun-easily-1-choice-of-us-travelers.html.
How safe is Yucatán?
Yucatán and half of Mexico belong to Los Zetas: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2012/01/yucatan-and-half-of-mexico-belong-to.html.
U.S. greatly concerned by Mérida decapitations in 2008: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/11/us-greatly-disturbed-by-yucatan.html.
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