A new version of the standing travel advisory issued by the U.S. Department of State now includes a resort area that had remained relatively calm, but in recent months has seen a sharp spike in cartel violence.
The travel advisory has been in place for years and warns U.S. travelers to be aware when going to Mexico because of the potential dangers of the ongoing drug violence in that country. While the advisory in the past specified the dangers of the areas with heavy cartel activity such as Tamaulipas, Guerrero and Veracruz, for the first time the advisory now warns of about dangers in the Mexican State of Baja California Sur, famous for its beach resort in Los Cabos and La Paz.
“Baja California Sur is the home of Los Cabos (including celebrity vacation favorite Cabo San Lucas), and has historically been one of the safest and most peaceful respites from Mexico’s drug war,” said Breitbart Texas Contributing Editor and Border Expert Sylvia Longmire. “ However just because blood isn’t flowing down the streets somewhere doesn’t there isn’t cartel presence. The Sinaloa Federation has had a presence in this area for some time and it appears that their control is being challenged to some extent.”
As Breitbart Texas had previously reported, the relatively calm area of Los Cabos has seen a resurgence of violence with cartel executions spiking at an alarming rate as various factions fight for control of the area.
“While clashes like this have occurred in near other tourists zones like Puerto Vallarta or Acapulco without any real impact on tourist safety; it’s still notable that the State Department would mention this area,” Longmire said. “The warning may not scare off a good chunk of the American Tourist, but travelers should still educate themselves on country conditions before traveling to Mexico regardless of how safe they perceive their destination to be.
“The State Department travel warning for Baja California Sur specifically mentions the city of La Paz, which is approximately a two-hour drive north of the resort areas of Los Cabos. The characteristics of the two cities are quite different, and security around the resorts in Los Cabos is generally adequate. However, there have been instances of cartel violence near the resorts, and while the warning is confined to La Paz, this is by no means a guarantee that Los Cabos will forever remain completely immune to drug-related incidents.”
This article has been updated to include more information.
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