On Tuesday, December 7, which also happens to be Pear Harbor Day, multiple attackers on jet skis ambushed tourists soaking up the rays along Playa Langosta (Lobster Beach), in Cancun Mexico’s famous “hotel zone,” Associated Press reports. Nobody was injured but alcohol consumption is expected to quadruple. AP notes that “tourists were rattled by the incident.
Assassins on jet skis
Zayne Jones of Utah was in the family’s room when the shooting started, which terrified him because his wife and kids were on the beach.
“I ran to the balcony to tell them to get down and get to a corridor and get cover.” Thankfully they were “at the hotel’s pool on the beach at the time” the hit team’s jet skies roared up and opened fire. “There was panic at the resort, people running and yelling.”
One more shooting in Cancun’s tourist area despite recent deployment of Mexico’s militarized National Guard & following other incidents since October. Locals have been the most affected by the criminal wave of recent years in the Mayan Riviera but only now it gains attention. https://t.co/68etGxvljs
— José Díaz-Briseño (@diazbriseno) December 8, 2021
This isn’t the first terrorist beach assassination attempt using Jet Skis at “a popular beach spot along Cancun’s Hotel Zone.” Playa Tortugas which means “Turtle Beach” in Mexican was hit the same way in June. That time, folks weren’t so lucky. The two apparent intended targets were shot dead.
Both were local vendors selling small amounts of recreational chemicals to the tourists along with souvenirs. They probably didn’t pay their taxes to the cartel. One of their customers was unlucky enough to get shot in the shoulder but Kanya N. was expected to make a full recovery.
In response to an increase in violence, Mexican authorities have dispatched thousand of National Guard soldiers to the area of Cancun. The Utah family says soldiers were on scene within minutes. Really wild story, hope you'll tune in. pic.twitter.com/oxfL6Hj845
— Jeremy Harris (@JeremyHarrisTV) December 8, 2021
In Tuesday’s attack, there “was a delayed reaction for about maybe five seconds,” when the assassins blasted up to the beach, “then everybody started scrambling and screaming and crying, and running,” Minnesota tourist Kerry Arms told the press.
Rick Lebassa from Maine adds that there “were two guys and maybe even a third, who came in on jet skis, and what I saw was them shooting up into the sky.” Mexican authorities are staying out of it. “Unfortunately, Mexican authorities were unable to catch the suspects. However, they were able to seize the jet skis.”
An increase in violence
Police can’t do much because they’re all on the payroll of the local cartels. The cartels generally frown on airing their dirty laundry in front of visiting tourists because they make so darn much money off of them.
This attack with jet skis “goes along with an increase of violence in the resort town as cartels continue to battle with each other.” The nation’s officials claim they “dispatched thousand of National Guard soldiers to the area of Cancun.”
VIDEO | OTRA BALACERA EN LA PLAYA: Pese a presencia del Batallón Turístico, surge enfrentamiento con disparos en playa Langosta en plena Zona Hotelera de Cancún https://t.co/G1Om0H3z8m pic.twitter.com/A68lUe3NbW
— Noticaribe (@Noticaribe) December 7, 2021
The tourist family from Utah was happy to confirm that “soldiers were on scene within minutes.” This follows an incident in November where “two drug dealers were killed by a swarm of rival cartel members just feet away from the high-end Azul Beach Resort.”
The National Guard wandering around Cancun may be assisting in keeping the peace but it makes “for a less-than-relaxing environment for tourists looking to unwind.” Not only that, they were no where in sight when the Jet skis hit the beach.
“I ran to the balcony to tell them to get down "
There was another shooting involving gunmen on jet skis in the tourist zone of Cancun. A Utah father was in his room while his wife and kids were on the beach. They told me their story tonight for @KUTV2News at 10 https://t.co/OVSVWnmmH0
— Jeremy Harris (@JeremyHarrisTV) December 8, 2021
While the cartel can afford to abandon a few jet skis on the beach, they can’t afford to lose the tourist dollars that pour into the Mexican paradise resort town.
That’s why “Blinky,” aka Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “is advising that American travelers ‘exercise increased caution’ in the region ‘due to crime.'” You may want to rethink your travel plans if you’re allergic to lead.
