The violence produced four bodies dumped on one of Cancun’s idyllic beaches in front of the luxurious Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel. On the other side of the country – Mexico’s east coast – Easter week began with local drug traffickers settling scores in a never-ending turf battle. It’s not a normal day at the beach, no matter what anyone says. When the sun has fallen and young partiers are drinking at surf’s edge, soldiers are still walking on the sand. But people are clearly playing it safe – most businesses close by 8.00pm and only the most daring stay open for another hour. Hotel occupancy was above 73%, according to the state tourism agency. Violence and safety concerns have hardly affected the influx of Acapulco tourists. They own businesses and know all about the extortion of people trying to make a living selling candy, seafood, clothes, hammocks or taking people for rides on a yellow inflatable torpedo called the Banana. The locals say organized crime runs things there. The government deployed elements of the Navy in the Mexican Caribbean. Given all the shootings and armed troops on patrol, a stray bullet could hit anyone, anytime. Locals and even vacationers from Mexico City seem willing to take the risk, hoping “it won’t be my turn next.” But the risk is steadily rising. Acapulco beaches like Caleta are very popular with people escaping the city heat. The violence and death hasn’t scared many people away. Another badly decomposed body was found a few days earlier, floating in the water off the private beach of the high-end Las Brisas Hotel. At nearby Dominguillo Beach, a boat crew worker was wounded, and a body was found in a black plastic bag on the streets. But the thousands of soldiers guarding Mexico’s vacationers still could not stop the violence.Ī shootout on April 3 at La Cabaña Restaurant on Acapulco’s popular Caleta Beach left three men and a woman dead, and four others wounded, according to local news reports. “How’s everyone – having fun? Well, we’re here to welcome you and say you can count on us for anything,” said a soldier to a table of vacationers enjoying oysters and beer in Acapulco’s La Angosta Beach. Mexico is in the top 10 most visited countries in the world and expects to earn almost $9 billion in tourist revenue during Easter Week, according to Spanish news agency EFE. The military presence is expected to last until April 16 during a peak vacation time for Mexicans and foreign tourists. The Armed Forces will also provide security at 14 airports and 42 bus stations. Another 3,800 soldiers are guarding the country’s highways.ĭefense Minister Luís Cresencio Sandoval announced that six helicopters, 755 patrol cars, 377 pickup trucks, 10 speedboats and 45 all-terrain vehicles will support the troops. The government quickly dispatched 4,724 soldiers to both cities, Tulum, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Veracruz. The measure is the federal government’s attempt to save Easter Week after at least eight murders on April 3 tarnished the idyllic postcard image of two major vacation destinations: Acapulco (Guerrero) and Cancun (Quintana Roo). Over 8,000 National Guard, Marine and Army soldiers have been deployed to the country’s major tourist centers. The contrast was stark in several pictures shared by Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama: two armed soldiers patrol a Cancún beach while in the background, a tourist in a black swimsuit and sun hat stands in the surf. There’s something dystopian about this picture, but it’s a reality these days on Mexico’s coasts. White sand beaches, turquoise water, designer bikinis, cold drinks, sun-tanned bodies, and a parade of machine guns and camouflage uniforms.
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