Mexico’s main tourist state has turned into a major hub for drug trafficking organizations
The state of Quintana Roo with its white sand beaches, luxury resorts and boutique hotels has been scene of a series of incidents which involve drug trafficking organizations and that could end affecting the security of this area, formerly considered as one of the safest and more protected in the Mexican territory due to its touristic potential.
On February 5, local media reports claimed a Cessna-type jet suspected of being used by drug traffickers had been found partially incinerated after it landed in the community of Nuevo Tabasco, close to Quintana Roo’s border with Campeche.
Military officials were present at the site, as it was suspected drugs transported by the plane might have been hidden in mountains surrounding the illegal landing spot. The report added that the aircraft had been detected by Mexico’s air force earlier that morning, before it was found partially destroyed hours later.
Last October, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed in a press conference that a plane carrying 1.5 tons of cocaine had landed at Chetumal Airport in southern Quintana Roo just hours earlier.
Military sources suggested the planes could have arrived in the state from Colombia or Venezuela.
Last July, the state’s former police chief, Alberto Capella, tweeted that a plane suspected of being involved in illicit activities had landed on a public highway in the municipality of Chunhuhub.
After consulting military sources, the news outlet Milenio reported the Hawker 700 jet had initiated its journey in Venezuela, before landing on the Mexican road in broad daylight, where a truck was awaiting its descent. The media outlet added that authorities later found both vehicles abandoned, discovering just under half a ton of cocaine worth over $5.2 million left in the deserted truck.
Drug planes from Argentina and Colombia also disembarked in Quintana Roo last year.
Analysts state that those who receive the cocaine in Quintana Roo may be linked to the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG). The drugs may also be collected by residual members of the Gulf Cartel and Zetas, who have been known to operate in this area.
Quintana Roo has seen a recent increase in violence related to organized crime, with independent cartels battling for control over lucrative drug distribution points. Such battles have been spilling over into events attended by tourists and populated areas of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.