Cancún, Quintana Roo --
A brutal early morning attack on a sports bar yesterday has killed a 26 year old waitress and left several employees and patrons seriously wounded.
Witnesses say that a heavily armed commando squad arrived at the Sports Bar Harem 95 about 2:30 a.m. and began firing indiscriminately with AK-47s, a machine gun commonly carried by Mexican drug cartels and organized crime. The bar is near 107th and Andrés Quintana Roo Avenue, a few miles west of the city's hotel zone. A Wal-Mart is located across the broad multi-lane avenue, in a neighborhood which is light commercial.
The dead waitress was identified as Alejandra Talavera Hernández, originally from Mexico City. She was seated at a table with co-workers, her back to the door, when the gunmen entered and began strafing the premises with 7.62 mm fire. Over 50 shells were recovered at the scene. Police say Hernández died instantly from massive wounds to her head and back. A single mother, she is survived by a 10 year old son.
Four other men suffered gunshot wounds, including Graham Anguiano Interián, 26, whom police say is the head of a local Los Zetas cell. Interián is hospitalized in serious condition.
A similar attack against another Cancún bar was carried out April 18, but there were no injuries or deaths. There are no suspects in either of the cases.
Investigators believe the motive for the attack may have been the owner's refusal to pay extortion demands, which are common in many parts of Mexico where cartels operate. In Quintana Roo state, the ubiquitous derecho de piso is paid by far more businesses than not, ranging from the smallest retailers to mid-size commercial enterprises. The term can be translated as "floor charge" or "right to the floor," but it's nothing more than a rent surcharge paid to criminals for the privilege of remaining in business. The refusal to pay commonly produces results like yesterday's. Experts say that in nearby Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancún, virtually all of the stores in the tourist district pay extortion fees, most commonly to the feared Los Zetas cartel. In 2011, some 300 Riviera Maya businesses closed their doors due to narco extortion and threats, according to trade groups (Todos saben, pero nadie denuncia).
A competing police theory is that the attack was staged by Los Pelones or Los Matazetas (the "Zeta killers") hit men, who were after the Zeta boss in the tavern. The first mentioned organizations are on a mission to eliminate Los Zetas from Quintana Roo state. Los Pelones killer arrested in Cancún also may have been hit man for Los Matazetas.
May 10: Police confirm that the sole motive for the attack was an assassination attempt against Interián. The Zeta is said to be in critical condition after two operations, and may not survive.
May 15: A Cancún newspaper alleges a "police cover up" of the case today. The allegation is based upon witness reports that black-and-whites passed by the van carrying the hit squad just moments before the attack was launched, reconnoitered for a few moments and then slowly drove away. A few minutes earlier one of those witnesses had dialed 066, Mexico's equivalent of 911, to report that a van carrying armed gunmen was stationed outside the club. The paper suggests that police knew what was about to unfold.
May 16: The presumed target of the assault, Graham Anguiano Interián, is in improved condition. It now appears he'll survive his injuries after all. Police say he was a Los Zeta wholesaler who visited the bar almost every day to deliver narcotics. Drugs are routinely sold in many such establishments.
Mar. 19, 2013 - Expanding Gulf Cartel likely behind three recent Riviera Maya atrocities
Mexico's Caribbean Riviera Maya in the hands of drug cartels and extortionists
Extortion hurts the little guy the most
Mexican derecho de piso has arrived in the United States
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