Visitors from around the world, including the United States, have become collateral damage at one of the most popular spring break destinations.
Despite the recent deployment of military personnel to the region, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is descending into chaos with four cartels competing in a vicious turf war that's led to the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
One expert compared the violence to a natural disaster, saying visitors hoping to relax and unwind at Mexico's most beautiful beaches were at risk of being “wiped off the face of the Earth” as the warring cartels attempt to assert their dominance over an 80-mile stretch of territory that includes premier resorts.
In the last fortnight alone, cartel butchers displayed the dismembered remains of rival traffickers in Cancun, a California woman died during in shootout on a Tulum beach and a man from New York found himself abducted and dumped in the jungle.
Jay Armes III, a private investigator speaking to Fox News described the cartels' decision to wage total war “horrifying,” even if it seems normal to the desensitized people of Mexico.
About 15 to 20 years ago, the heads of the cartels lived by a “code similar to the Italian mob,” the renowned PI said.
“In the old days, you weren't allowed to target women or children. You weren't allowed to encroach on another cartel's territory. And the resorts were off limits. … Cartels wanted to fly under the radar as much as they could,” said Armes.
A slain foreigner in a tourist area, especially an American, brought unwanted attention and “mandatory, swift” action from the Mexican government, military and law enforcement, Armes said.
Government leaders wanted to protect tourism, which has been the country's legal economic foundation for decades.
“The rules have changed,” Armes concluded. “All that old guard code is out the window. The resorts are open shop.”
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