Mexican authorities have detained several suspects in connection with the killings of seven people at a crowded bar in the resort city of Playa del Carmen, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The two main suspects believed to be responsible for Sunday night's attack were among those arrested, they said, without specifying how many people were in custody overall.
Authorities said the shootings bore the hallmarks of a drug cartel hit, but are not ruling out other motives.
Local media reports said the bar was about 10 minutes from the center of Playa del Carmen's main tourist zone, and was packed with revelers at the end of the Epiphany holiday weekend.
Playa del Carmen, located on the Yucatan peninsula, is one of the top international tourist destinations in Mexico, along with nearby Cancun. Both are famous for their turquoise waters and white-sand Caribbean beaches.
But the cities have been increasingly hit by violence as Mexico's powerful drug cartels fight for control of the area.
Mexico has been swept by a wave of violent crime since the government deployed the army to crack down on drug cartels in 2006.
Since then, more than 200,000 people have been murdered, including a record 28,711 in 2017. Preliminary figures indicate the homicide record was broken again in 2018.
Mexican authorities have detained several suspects in connection with the killings of seven people at a crowded bar in the resort city of Playa del Carmen, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The two main suspects believed to be responsible for Sunday night’s attack were among those arrested, they said, without specifying how many people were in custody overall.
Authorities said the shootings bore the hallmarks of a drug cartel hit, but are not ruling out other motives.
Local media reports said the bar was about 10 minutes from the center of Playa del Carmen’s main tourist zone, and was packed with revelers at the end of the Epiphany holiday weekend.
Playa del Carmen, located on the Yucatan peninsula, is one of the top international tourist destinations in Mexico, along with nearby Cancun. Both are famous for their turquoise waters and white-sand Caribbean beaches.
But the cities have been increasingly hit by violence as Mexico’s powerful drug cartels fight for control of the area.
Mexico has been swept by a wave of violent crime since the government deployed the army to crack down on drug cartels in 2006.
Since then, more than 200,000 people have been murdered, including a record 28,711 in 2017. Preliminary figures indicate the homicide record was broken again in 2018.
