Security alert Playa del carmen & security concerns in Mexico (merged)

[pianoetudes]

I have no intention of scaring anyone here. Today I receive an email alert from US embassy Mexico City as follows:

Event: On March 1, undetonated explosive devices were found by Mexican law enforcement on a tourist ferry that operates between Cozumel-Playa del Carmen, Mexico. On February 21, an explosive device detonated on a tourist ferry in Playa del Carmen resulting in injuries, including to U.S. citizens. U.S. Government employees are prohibited from using all tourist ferries on this route until further notice. Mexican and U.S. law enforcement continue to investigate.

I hope everything is ok because I will be visiting Cozumel in April.

 

[klpca]

I have no intention of scaring anyone here. Today I receive an email alert from US embassy Mexico City as follows:

Event: On March 1, undetonated explosive devices were found by Mexican law enforcement on a tourist ferry that operates between Cozumel-Playa del Carmen, Mexico. On February 21, an explosive device detonated on a tourist ferry in Playa del Carmen resulting in injuries, including to U.S. citizens. U.S. Government employees are prohibited from using all tourist ferries on this route until further notice. Mexican and U.S. law enforcement continue to investigate.

I hope everything is ok because I will be visiting Cozumel in April.

We're going in May, but flying in and out of Cozumel, so no ferry for us. There are some very active threads on Tripadvisor on the first incident. To tell the truth, this is giving me pause.

 

[PamMo]

A Reuters article sheds some light on the incidences. Corruption and turf wars seem to be more the issue vs crime/violence directed at tourists. If you're hurt, it doesn't really matter if you were the intended victim or not, though, does it?
www.google.com/amp/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSL2N1QK02K

 

[taterhed]

Yeah, looks like an actual 'explosive' device; was not a very high-order explosive though, from the looks of the video/images.
No one was seriously wounded, but the boat took a real beating. Best wishes to those affected by the blast.

My guess is it was a significant flash/bang explosive built/designed to really get some serious attention and send a message....
Reports show that it clearly was Narco-terrorism or an elaborate frame job for Narco-T.

In any case, it's a sign of the (Mexican) times.

 

[BC Bum]

I love Mexico, but my wife will not go. Stories like this are very troubling. Playa and especially Cozumel always seemed so safe. On the whole, they probably still are safe, but many people don't feel comfortable there anymore.

 

[moonstone]

Since we are in Belize right now we get a lot of MX news. The explosion on the ferry was Feb.21st, and we haven't heard any more news since then. The news we are getting down here is saying it was believed to be a gas leak, not terrorist activity. But who knows. They don't want to affect their tourism. We have a friend here who was in Playa at the time and saw the ferry about an hour after the accident. She said she really didn't see any extra security around the ferry docks, or anywhere else around town, and she is planning another trip down in June.


~Diane

 

[taterhed]

Hm. They've had a few security incidents in the last few weeks near the marina. A group did claim responsibility after the fact.
The boat is a common-carriage ferry; diesel powered. Unless they have propane on board....of course, it could have been fumes from the diesel tank. (not)

I hate to say it, but the circumstances and appearances aren't good

You can watch the video yourself....

The responsibility for the blast was discovered during the early morning hours of February 27 when police in Cozumel received a call that three armed men were attaching an unknown object to a church fence. When police arrived, they discovered a narco-banner in the form of a tarp with a threatening message addressed to the mayor of Cozumel, Perla Tun Pech, claiming responsibility for the blast. The narco-banner was signed by the Cártel de “El Pumba” y “Tata” and warned the same will happen to the mayor’s home. Besides the signature of “El Pumba” y “Tata,” there was also a “Z,” indicating that the authors of the banner are aligned with Los Zetas drug cartel. Possession of the banner was assumed by the local police who transported it to the state attorney general’s office, according to a local report.

Barcos Caribe is associated with former Quintana Roo Governor Roberto Borge Angulo who, along with two business associates, acquired the ferry line while still in office. After leaving, Borge became a fugitive and was later captured in Panama attempting to board a flight to Paris. He is currently in custody facing corruption charges, according to the BBC.

But, there is more: this reported yesterday and today:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/explosives-found-mexican-ferry-cozumel-53463724

The company "Barcos Caribe" reported to the Secretariat of the Navy Navy of Mexico (Semar) the existence of a device, presumably explosive, placed on a (Rudder) on the starboard side at the bottom of its "Caribe II" vessel, anchored together with the "Caribe III" off the coast of Cozumel

 

[pittle]

We will be at the Grand Bliss Riviera Maya for 2 weeks tarting April 20. We have taken the ferry before, but that has not been on our excursion list. We are planning to spend a lot of time at Mayan World and go to Puerto Morales for late lunch a couple of times. No guests with us this time so planning for a super leisure vacation of sun, reading with adult beverages.

 

[easyrider]

I had read the Ferry explosion was an accidental explosion but now I guess we all know it wasn't. The Rivera Maya taxi drivers are in a squabble with Ubber drivers and recently they have been killing each other. Many small businesses in this area are being asked to pay for protection. This is kind of how Acapulco became a place no one goes anymore.

If you add in the gringo-phobia that many Mexicans feel due to current events in the USA it starts to look like the U.S. Travel Advisories might be something to consider.

btw, I really doubt that tourists are targeted by cartel. I think the people in harms way are the Mexican business owners, politicians and other extortable types. My plans on heading to Mexico haven't changed because of violence. My concerns are more about medical emergencies due to health, not bullets. A health emergency is something that actually happens to many tourists.

Bill

 

[lauramiddl]

We were at Vidanta (Mayan World) compound last week and I didn't hear a thing about this. We went to Playa Monday and Tuesday, but remained on the compound after that. There was a large police presence around 5th Ave in Playa on Monday night, but since it's been over 18 years since I've been there, I can't say if it was a normal presence or not. On Saturday, we went to Xcaret and the airport. It's amazing how out of touch you can be while on vacation.

 

[taterhed]

I had read the Ferry explosion was an accidental explosion but now I guess we all know it wasn't. The Rivera Maya taxi drivers are in a squabble with Ubber drivers and recently they have been killing each other. Many small businesses in this area are being asked to pay for protection. This is kind of how Acapulco became a place no one goes anymore.

If you add in the gringo-phobia that many Mexicans feel due to current events in the USA it starts to look like the U.S. Travel Advisories might be something to consider.

btw, I really doubt that tourists are targeted by cartel. I think the people in harms way are the Mexican business owners, politicians and other extortable types. My plans on heading to Mexico haven't changed because of violence. My concerns are more about medical emergencies due to health, not bullets. A health emergency is something that actually happens to many tourists.

Bill

Agreed: We don't really know if this was an accident or explosive on the ferry.....but, if it was an explosive, it seems like it was designed for attention and not destruction. IMHO.

Always pays to be cautious when traveling abroad or really anywhere that tourists abound!

 

[Jayco29D]

We were in Cancun/Riviera Maya at the end of January. There was no obvious police presence at all on 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen. In driving back and forth from Cancun to Xe Hal and Cancun to Xcaret over several days, we only passed 1-2 police check points in the entire 1.5 hour drive each way. So it sounds like since this problem happened, the area may have increased the police presence.

 

[dannybaker]

Cabo has become unsafe? I was told that the city was named the most dangerous city in Mexico, is this true.

 

[Jayco29D]

We were in Cabo for Christmas week. The day before we arrived, the drug cartel hung several men over the bridge from the airport to the main resorts and hotels. I did not know about this until after we were already in Cabo. After we learned of this, we stayed within our gated luxury compound. Luckily there was enough to do that we felt fine. We went on the resort bus to downtown Cabo San Lucas and it was so run down that we went back to the gated compound and never left again. However, this did not scare me off from Mexico. So we went again at the end of January to Cancun/Riviera Maya and rented a car to tour the entire area. We did not have any security problems. But after reading this thread, and the actual news of the events, I think we may not visit Mexico again for a while.

 

[klpca]

Here's the latest update. I'm honestly having second thoughts.
Security Alert - U. S. Embassy Mexico City, Mexico (March 7, 2018)


Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico


Event: On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City received information about a security threat in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Effective immediately, U.S. Government employees are prohibited from traveling to Playa del Carmen until further notice. The U.S. Consular Agency in Playa del Carmen will be closed until further notice.

 

[Jayco29D]

My spouse and I have decided we will not be visiting Mexico again with our children until they clean up their drug cartel problems. We went to Mexico 5 times in 2017. This is a shame because we truly love Mexico especially the Cancun/Cozumel/Riviera Maya side with the beautiful Caribbean sea. We love the warmth of the Mexican people but we can't risk our children's lives, even if the risk is small. P.S. There are many cities in the USA we won't go either!

 

[easyrider]

Cabo has become unsafe? I was told that the city was named the most dangerous city in Mexico, is this true.

Very dangerous if you work for a drug cartel or associate with cartel members. I think the La Paz had the highest murder rate in southern Baja. La Paz has ferry service to Mazatlan and the guns end up in La Paz. La Paz is about a three hour drive from Cabo. Most of the murders happen in the small villages of Baja but at least one happened in a resort area in San Jose del Cabo where an American tourist was accidentally shot in the leg.

I read that maybe 40,000 reservations with more each day have been canceled to the Cabo area because of the gang violence.

While speaking with some locals in Mexico last year it seems that many don't like the idea of Mexico paying for American border security because personally many of them are not wealthy and Mexico isn't a wealthy country. This is causing a bit of anti-gringo in Mexico, imo. This is not a political remark so if you read this don't attempt to turn it political.

Bill

 

[mdurette]

I was vey excited a few weeks back when I snagged Grand Luxxe NV for cheap TPUs and no fees via RCI. I put the unit on hold and started planning. After reading the warning from the US about PV area - I let the hold lapse. Maybe I would not have done that if I didn't still have a child in tow - who knows.

I'm sure people in other countries read about some of the scary stuff in the US and stay away from us too.

For now at least....If I'm looking for fun in the sun....I'll stick with the Caribbean.

 

[geist1223]

We spent 3 weeks in BCS in January and February. We mainly stayed in San Jose del Cabo but we drove all over the place to include 2 trips to La Paz. Locals were friendly and helpful. We had a great time.

 

[PamMo]

I'm no thrill seeker, but am still planning for six weeks in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta in the next two months... I'm checking with my "guy" (son) in the Latin American section at State to see what he has to say, though.

 

[buzglyd]

I'll be in Playa del Carmen next week. We aren't night owls and won't be in any clubs at 2 AM.

Stuff can happen anywhere but Mexico's murder rate is through the roof these days.

 

[Lingber]

We are supposed to be at the Grand Luxxe middle of this month. Hate that the alert is so vague. From USA today article.

"The embassy said it had “received information about a security threat” on Wednesday. It did not specify what that threat is."

 

[Jayco29D]

A recent article in Time:

http://time.com/5191405/us-travel-warning-resort-mexico/

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mx-dominates-list-of-most-violent-cities/

 

[Conan]

State Department Alert sounds serious
#Mexico Security Alert: On March 7, the US Embassy received information about a security threat in #PlayadelCarmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Effective immediately, US Government employees are prohibited from traveling to Playa del Carmen until further notice. http://ow.ly/SvAw30iOR0r

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...resort-city-in-mexico/?utm_term=.ea8e2313b7a8

 

[moonstone]

Now Canada has issued a travel warning as well.
https://globalnews.ca/news/4070488/canada-playa-del-carmen-mexico-travel-warning-security-threat/


~Diane