Retired General Mauro Enrique Tello Quinonez, New Anti-Drug Official, Murdered in Mexico by Organized Crime

Planning a Vacation in Cancun? Perhaps You Shoud Re-think that Idea

Julia Bodeeb
On his first day in his new job to fight the tide of drugs in the Cancun area Retired General Mauro Enrique Tello Quinonez was tortured and murdered according to CNN. He was shot 11 times, his skin was burned, his knees were broken, as were bones in his hands and wrists. Organized crime is believed responsible for the crime, which police believe occurred in Cancun according to CNN.

The aide and driver for Mauro Enrique Tello Quinonez were also murdered. The hands of all three victims were bound according to CNN. The lawlessness of Cancun, with drug trade running rampant is alarming indeed for residents and tourists.

In recent years, Lt. Col. Wilfrido Flores Saucedo and his aide were also murdered in Cancun. The crime was never solved. CNN reports that "Mexico grapples with the highest violent death rates in its history, around 5,400 slayings in 2008, more than double the 2,477 reported in 2007, according to Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora."

If government officials are being murdered, is Cancun safe for residents and tourists? That is highly doubtful. This beautiful resort area is rife with organized crime and drug cartels.

With its proximity to California, Mexico has always been a prime vacation choice for residents of the Western states, and indeed all of America. Now though, as violent crime increases dramatically in Mexico it seems an unsafe spot for a vacation.

If retired military men are finding themselves ambushed and murdered what chance does a tourist have when confronted with the violent side of life in Cancun?

And since three men were murdered together there does not even seem to be safety in numbers. Organized crime in the Cancun area seems well organized and extremely violent. There is huge money to be made via selling drugs in Mexico and transporting them to other areas as well. Organized crime seems determined to assassinate anyone who tries to stop their industry. They are ruthless and have no regard for human life.

If you are looking for a lovely beach vacation, I would recommend you avoid Cancun. It does not seem the risk with organized crime murdering so many people. Find a safer place to vacation at. Cancun, Mexico needs to solve their violent crime problem before tourist should return there.

Source: www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/02/04/mexico.general/index.html

Published by Julia Bodeeb

Winner, Pulitzer Center Global Issues contest (Washington, DC), semi-finalist: The Nation's poetry contest. Published in newspapers, magazines and many online websites. Sold jokes to a major comic. Over a...   View profile

22 Comments

Post a Comment
  • No Name Traveler 2/18/2009

    This is the best article I've read about Cancun.Through no fault of my own, I recently returned from there fearing for my identity and my life. I stayed at a place, within walking distance of the malls, that apparently is run or at least inhabited by mobsters(not Mexican, they spoke English and looked either American or European).
    Due to several details I won't go into, I checked out early because I feared they would steal my credit cards and my identity. I'm positive at least 2 of their clan followed me home on the airplane, no kidding! This is probably because I checked out early and complained at the front desk about them, specifically.
    I don't know who they think I was, but I've never been so happy to see my gun as I was when I got back to my car at the airport!
    This wasn't my first or second time in Cancun, but it will damn sure be my last!
    Cancun is totally lawless nowadays and I don't think the Army will straighten it out anytime soon.
    Anyone who says otherwise, is

  • VW 2/15/2009

    We were in Cancun when these murders happened and did not even know about it. Nothing changed in the hotel zone. While traveling south of Cancun a few days ago, we passed through a military checkpoint and it was only then we found out that someone important had been murdered the week before and they were looking for suspects. We have been vacationing there for 12 years and have always felt very safe. I feel as safe or safer in Cancun than in any other U.S. city and would not discourage travelers. We have had nothing but positive experiences with the Mexican people. (Of course these does not mean that they are all wonderful.) I do agree that it is important to honor these men that have lost their lives in the war on drugs. We hope and pray that their deaths will not be in vain.

  • Harley 2/13/2009

    Tourists are their best customers. They have their guys walking the beaches at the hotels all day long selling their stuff. Anyone ever hear them say "I got what your looking for."?

  • Dan W 2/12/2009

    it is good to know that cancun has mucho problems , American tourist think its paradise but it is not , Mexiacn police will do its best to keep the killing out of Cancun as it is money makeing machine
    if more peole like Julia writes about it , then they will make a seriouse effort to fight the crime , if not its just a matter of time we will read in newspaper that the American tourist have been killed in cross fire in Mexican Drug war
    keep it up julia

  • John 2/12/2009

    I am sorry, but this is one poorly written article. Tourists IMO are safe in Cancun. A drug related assassination does not mean that tourists are in harms way. It is very sad for these men and there family's, but unfortunately this is always the risk when you accept these types of positions in any location.

  • Cancun Canuck 2/11/2009

    AC would not let me post further comments without using the registration that I had forgotten about, I had to ask for a password reset to post my comment. I have not used the account since I registered. I repeat, I do not need publicity, nor is that why I've posted a rebuttal. I also did not state that there is not a problem with organized crime, I simply stated that there is no evidence that it affects tourists. As to why I don't fight organized crime, as a foreigner in this country, that is simply impossible. I do use my blog to discuss environmental issues, I am well aware of the problems of over-development and the destruction of the mangroves and the coral and I write about it as well as the problems of poverty and neglect of animals. The link to the stolen identity article doesn't work, but by the title I can tell that it has nothing to do with the theme at hand, violent crime against tourists.

  • BeSafe 2/11/2009

    I agree 100% with this article. Thank you Julia for helping to get the word out. There is no where in Mexico that is a safe vacation choice period. 30% of all "non-natural" deaths of U.S. citizens outside this country occur in Mexico. Many of these deaths are covered up, family members are lied to and treated like %^&* by the Mexican hotel operators and officials. How do I know this?? My son died there tragically 25 months ago and we are still be lied to. AVOID MEXICO!

  • Julia Bodeeb 2/11/2009

    Oh, and AC certainly did not force you to put the name of your blog in the prior comment, you did that for publicity. Also, you registered at AC months before I wrote this article, so AC did not force you to register to comment on my article. Here's another article at AC about crime in Cancun for you to have a tantrum over: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/151630/the_story_of_my_brothers_stolen_identity_html?cat=3

  • Julia Bodeeb 2/11/2009

    CC, perhaps your time would be better spent fighting organized crime in Cancun (or writing about it), or working for environmental causes there (the coral in Cancun is dying due to sewage in ocean in Cancun).

  • Cancun Canuck 2/11/2009

    Julia, I was posting without my screen name and without my blog until AC forced me to register and YOU invited people to write and continued to delete my comments. I am not trying to publicize anything, I only want the truth to be known. Traveler posts my piece about neighbourhood crime as a way to support your article on organized and violent crime, they are two different animals and I am trying to share the truth of the situation with my article on violent crime against tourists. Robberies in my neighbourhood have nothing to do with tourists (and we haven't had ANY since that post so I don't see the point). The post that
    Traveler shared is about things that can happen in any city. Why are you so insistent that no one can contradict you when you obviously don't know what you are writing about?

Displaying Comments
Next »

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.