MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – Two people, an American woman and a man from Belize, were victims of an alleged drug-related shooting in the Mexican resort city of Tulum, according to officials speaking on Sunday.
The incident occurred at a beach club on Friday night. According to Quintana Roo state authorities, it seems to have been a dispute among drug dealers. The prosecutors emphasized that the American victim was not linked to the alleged drug dealer, who was also killed in the same incident. The woman’s identity and hometown have not been released.
The information provided suggests that the American woman might have been an unfortunate bystander caught in the crossfire of the shooting. Contradicting local media reports that speculated the pair were a couple, the prosecutors cited a photo of the man from Belize with a different woman.
In detailing the event, prosecutors revealed that they found cocaine and pills on the deceased man, likely indicating that he was a drug dealer. Authorities have identified the suspects and are currently on a manhunt for them.
The once peaceful beach resort of Tulum has witnessed similar incidents in the past where foreign tourists became unintended victims of drug-related shootings. Notably, in 2021, two tourists, a California-based travel blogger originally from India and a German national, lost their lives in a crossfire during a dinner at a Tulum restaurant.
In light of such incidents, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert last year urging travelers to exercise extra caution, particularly after dark, in Mexico’s Caribbean beach resorts such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.