Eight Bodies Found in Cancun, State Department Warns Against Travel to Mexico

Updated on April 28, 2023

• Eight bodies were found dumped in several locations in the popular resort town of Cancun over the weekend.
• Over 112,000 people are currently missing in Mexico, often due to cartel and drug-related violence.
• Several cartels are fighting over the lucrative drug trade in the tourism-dependent Caribbean coast region, where Cancun is located.
• Five of the bodies were discovered in a reservoir at an abandoned building site close to the Cancun airport.
• Three of the victims have been identified as previously reported missing people. They are believed to have been dumped at this site between one week to two months ago.
• Three more sets of skeletal remains were found in a wooded area on the outskirts of Cancun.
• Earlier this month four men were killed in the city's popular hotel zone in a drug cartel dispute.
• In March a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the town of Puerto Morelos, located halfway between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.

Updated on March 15, 2023

• New research has discovered that some pharmacies in Mexico have been selling medications laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl, and methamphetamine, putting consumers at a high risk of overdose and death.
• The research examined pharmacies in Northern Mexican cities with a high proportion of American customers. Chelsea Shover of the UCLA School of Medicine, and one of the researchers, said:

"For pills sold as oxycodone, we tested 27 and found 10 or 11 of them contained either fentanyl or heroin. When I see there are fentanyl pills somewhere that look like [prescription drugs], I know there have to have been people who've died from that."

• Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rep. David Trone (D-MD) sent a letter to Antony Blinken at the U.S. State Department calling for a formal travel advisory to warn Americans of the dangers of purchasing medications in Mexican pharmacies.
• There is evidence that the State Department was aware of this risk, and one traveler was confirmed to have died from a medication-related overdose in 2019. Trone said:

"We've heard nothing back [from the State Department] and it's very frustrating."

• Medical tourism is booming in Mexico because patients can save 50-70% on the cost of dental work, procedures, and medicines. Josef Woodman from Patients Without Borders told NPR:

"Pre-pandemic, some 1.2 million American citizens traveled to Mexico for elective medical treatment."

What's the story?

• The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has advised American citizens to avoid traveling to Mexico for the spring break holidays due to growing cartel violence and recent kidnappings.
• DPS director Steven McCraw warned:

"Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time."

• More than 550 American citizens remain missing in Mexico.

Recent headlines heighten concern

• The decision reflects growing concern over the country's safety after two Americans were murdered during a kidnapping that took place in the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The four Americans were incorrectly identified as rival drug dealers and taken hostage by a local cartel.
• Three American women who visited Mexico to sell clothes at a flea market on Feb. 24 in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, disappeared at some point during their trip. The FBI is currently investigating their whereabouts.
• Thousands of Mexicans have disappeared amidst the violence between rival drug cartels in Tamaulipas state alone, and 112,000 Mexican nationals remain missing across the country, going back decades.
• A spate of violent altercations between taxi drivers and Uber drivers in Quintana Roo state, where the popular resort towns Cancún, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum are located, has also raised concerns.

State Department warnings

• Prior to the announcement from the DPS, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 "do not travel" warning for various Mexican states. These states include Guerrero, Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.
• The State Department also released a Level 3 “reconsider travel” advisory for Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora.
• Popular tourist locations like Cancún, Cabo San Lucas, and Mexico City are under a Level 2 "exercise increased caution" advisory.

Recommendation for travelers

• The State Department recommends signing up for their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which enables you to receive notifications from the U.S. Embassy and allows the Embassy to contact you regarding any emergencies in your destination country.

Will you reconsider traveling to Mexico this Spring Break?

—Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: Canva)