• MURDER: A local government official in the tiny village of Mahahual in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo was killed Monday night highlighting the tension in what used to be a sleepy stretch of beach but that has seen an increasing drug trafficking activity in recent years.
• INVESTIGATION: State authorities confirmed a criminal inquiry surrounding the shooting against Obed Durón Gómez, a local official in Mahahual (pop. 920). According to local media, Durón Gómez was shot to death in Mahahual by an unknown group of gunmen. The attackers escaped.
• DRUGS: Back in June 2019, Spanish newspaper El País published a major story linking Durón Gómez to a drug trafficking ring engaged in collecting packages of cocaine thrown into the Caribbean Sea and that could be found floating near the beaches of Mahahual and Xcalak.
• CRUISES: In recent years, Mahahual has been transformed from an isolated beach near the border with Belize to a popular cruise port. Only last year, the number of cruise ship passengers arriving in Mahahual was 1.6 million, according to the Mexican government’s most recent data.
