Mexico: Violence in Acapulco Continues as City Recovers from Hurricane

As Acapulco recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Otis, violent criminal gangs are continuing their gang warfare in the world-famous resort city. Gangland killings have continued around the city, especially after the disaster that ravaged the city that used to be Mexico's top tourist spot.

Many of these killings reportedly happened on Acapulco's world-famous beaches, according to the Associated Press. As a response to this, the state of Guerrero, which is where Acapulco is located, has deployed 60 gun-toting detectives to patrol the beaches "in light of the violent events that have occurred recently."

Just last week, at least three people were shot dead on the beaches by just one gunman who managed to escape the crime scene aboard a boat. This violence is also happening right under the noses of thousands of Mexico's National Guard which have been deployed to the city after Otis's devastation.

Hurricane Otis killed 52 people, with 32 more still missing. The storm also caused severe damage to the city's infrastructure, including its world-famous hotels and resorts along the beach. Only around 5,000 hotel rooms in the city have been repaired so far.

So far, the Mexican government has pledged to build about three dozen barracks for the National Guard all over Acapulco. However, it was noted that even with the National Guard patrolling the streets, gang violence is still happening all over, with attacks forcing 90% of the city's passenger vans to stop running.

Bloody turf wars between rival local gangs have been happening in the world-famous resort city since 2006, with gangs fighting over rug sales and income from extorting protection payments from businesses. These also include extorting vans, buses, and taxis.

Mexico Gangs Resorting to Social Media To Recruit Young People

As for why there are so many people joining these violent gangs, the Mexican government revealed that local youths are being recruited via social media. This is not just happening in Acapulco, but also in other areas in Mexico, including Sonora which just issued a video-taped warning to local youths who they said were being recruited by drug cartels using that method.

"These youths have left their hometowns and gone to other states, where they have found out that these offers were deceptive and aimed at forcing them to work in crime gangs," said the Sonora State Prosecutor's Office in a Statement. "Remember, don't put yourself at risk. If a person invites you to this kind of deception, he is not really your friend."

Violence Scaring Tourists Away From World-Famous Mexico Resort City of Acapulco

Acapulco depends on tourism to sustain itself, as 80% of its residents depend on tourism for their livelihood. However, the city is currently struggling, not just because of Hurricane Otis, but also the gangland violence happening all around.

According to La Prensa Latina, while tourism has increased since the pandemic ended, the city continued to struggle, even before Otis hit. One of the reasons is the gang violence happening as many tourists have become weary after incidents such as the body of a murdered young woman being found inside a body bag and the death of a prominent local businessman after he was killed on a busy highway.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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