Gunmen Kidnap U.S. Citizen, Shoot Alleged DEA Agent’s Wife in Separate Attacks near Cancun

Authorities in Mexico are investigating the shooting of the wife of a retired DEA agent and the recent kidnapping of a U.S. citizen near Mexico’s Caribbean hotspot of Cancun. Mexican authorities reportedly tried to cover up one of the cases as a way to diminish the growing perception that violence has taken over the country.

The shooting of the woman took place on Friday night in the tourist area of Tulum, approximately 70 miles south of Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo. According to the local news outlet NotiCaribe, the attack took place at a beach along the Tulum-Boca Paila highway. Local authorities tried to cover up the attack where one woman, who they claim is the wife of a retired DEA agent living in Cancun, was shot, the outlet reported. A second victim described only as a male sustained gunshot wounds, however, additional details have not been released. U.S. officials have not provided any information to confirm or deny the incident.

The shooting comes just days after Mexico’s military rescued a U.S. citizen from New York who had relocated to Quintana Roo and had been kidnapped. The victim spent three days in captivity before the rescue operation took place. Authorities revealed that the kidnapping was ransom-related as the gunmen sought to collect approximately $15,000 USD from the victim’s relatives.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the once peaceful region of Mexico’s Caribean coast has become a hotspot for violence as rival criminal organizations fight for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes into Mexico and the lucrative drug distribution for the large number of tourists that continue to visit.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.