10 bodies found scattered around Mexico’s beach town of Acapulco

Ten bodies have been found scattered across the once-glamorous beach town of Acapulco, Mexico, plagued by cartel-related violence, local security officials said.

The bodies of two women and four men were left Monday evening on an avenue near a market, public security said. Local media reported that the bodies were thrown from a car.

A shooting in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood left three people dead and three others injured, officials added.

Authorities found another man shot to death in the tourist part of town.

Acapulco was once a playground for the rich and famous, but it has lost its luster over the past decade as foreign tourists have been scared away by the bloodshed that has made it one of the world’s most popular cities. violent in the world. The city is also still struggling to recover after being hit by Category 5 Hurricane Otis in October. Otis is gone at least 52 dead and destroyed or damaged most hotels.

Acapulco is part of the state of Guerrero, one of the most affected by drug trafficking in the country. It is one of six states in Mexico that the U.S. State Department advises Americans to avoid altogether, citing crime and violence. Cartel conflicts led to 1,890 murders in the state in 2023.

Acapulco has been dogged by gang infighting since at least 2006. Gangs compete for drug sales and revenue from extorting protection payments from businesses, bars, bus and taxi drivers.

Deadly trend continues in Acapulco

Acapulco has already seen a wave of violence this year. Just last month, the head of the traffic police was beaten down when attackers opened fire on him in a street relatively far from the resort’s beaches.

In February, the strangled bodies of two men were found on the famous Condesa Beach in Acapulco. Prosecutors said the men’s bodies bore signs of “ligature torture” and “signs of torture around the neck.”

The same month, the state government deployed 60 armed detectives to patrol beaches “in light of recent violent events”.

Around the same time, at least three people were shot dead on the beaches of Acapulco, including one by gunmen who arrived – and fled – Aboard a boat.

In April 2023, three people were killed during a shootout followed by a chase by police officers at a beachfront restaurant in Acapulco. Authorities said police chased the attackers down the beach as they “fled toward the sea.”

Spiraling criminal violence has led to more than 450,000 murders in Mexico since the government of then-President Felipe Calderon launched a military offensive against drug cartels in 2006.

Mexico has recently been plagued by a wave of political violence before the June 2 elections. More than twenty politicians have been killed since September last year, according to the NGO Data Civica, including a mayoral candidate who was shot last month just as she was starting her campaign.