Organized crime wants to dominate the hotel zone for the sale of narcotics and has sought different ways to do so.
A common practice, say security authorities, is to use vendors on Cancun beaches, who not only sell fruit, food or other items, but also illegal substances.
In Cancun, the Delfines, Tortugas, Gaviotas and Langosta beaches are the busiest and this is where surveillance has been reinforced.
They sell fruits and drugs on the beaches of Quintana Roo; there are 27 detainees
Data from the Quintana Roo Secretary of Citizen Security reveal that, in the current state administration headed by Mara Lezama, 27 people have been arrested on beaches for the crime of drug dealing. Last year, before Lezama took office on September 25, 66 people had been detained for this reason.
“Whenever there is a street vendor and they are detected, they are removed. Security is a priority in this administration,” said the municipal president of Cancun, Ana Patricia Peralta.
Also in constructions
They sell fruits and drugs on the beaches of Quintana Roo; there are 27 detainees
Faced with this problem, the security authorities reinforced surveillance operations on the beaches, which has prevented criminals from taking control of a single point; however, they have moved to other beaches and have expanded their presence to construction sites, distributing drugs among the workers or forcing them to commit crimes for them.
Rubén Oyarvide Pedrero, Secretary of Citizen Security, confirmed that since his arrival in Cancun and when he was head of the Municipal Police, complaints from construction companies were daily and they even stopped building and hiring people, due to the forced sale of drugs in the works .
He explained that the criminals come and threaten, saying that they belong to a criminal group, and force the workers to buy the drugs from them.
“Just as there are those from organized crime, there are those who are dedicated only to extortion. There are even possibly foreigners involved, but that is already the job of the State Attorney General’s Office, ”he said.
They want to dominate everything
They sell fruits and drugs on the beaches of Quintana Roo; there are 27 detainees
Oyarvide stressed that, in their eagerness to dominate everything and seek more income, criminals even force workers to buy food for them.
“Yes, they establish their food, food businesses, in the end they seek their own income and if it is loans, also with them. Total income, they want to dominate everything, ”he stated.
Óscar Montes de Oca, Attorney General of Quintana Roo, said that criminals “have reached these levels, so we must be very vigilant.”
WHAT ARE THE AUTHORITIES DOING?
They sell fruits and drugs on the beaches of Quintana Roo; there are 27 detainees
On beaches, the authorities of the three levels of government have reinforced surveillance tours and, if they detect street vendors, they withdraw them.
Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta recalled that Immediate Attention Centers have been installed on public beaches, which are security bases with the presence of the Navy, the National Guard and the Tourist Police, to reinforce surveillance.
“They work on different operations, such as construction and also on the beaches, which is a priority,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state authorities maintain the Safe Construction and Safe Beach operations.
“We have a permanent Safe Construction operation, the Navy, the Army, the National Guard, the State Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of Citizen Security will carry out reviews,” said prosecutor Montes de Oca.
To facilitate the tasks of the Safe Construction program, plates have been placed in the works that authorize the entry of the security authorities without having to ask for permission.
“We know that they come in and force them to buy drugs, even if they are not addicts, they got to that point. We are going to protect that sector, mainly the workers,” declared the prosecutor.
“We are going to continue acting. This didn’t happen before, why? I don’t know. Everything that arrives is investigated and the results are reached”. Rubén Oyarvide, Secretary of Citizen Security
“We prevented them from taking control of a point, which is why they have opted for other ways of distributing drugs.” José Pablo Mathey, Secretary of the Municipal Police of Cancun
