The third incident of its kind this year (two weeks after a similar shooting in nearby Tulum, and 5 months after a similar incident in Cancun) was described by the state prosecutor's office as a clash between rival drug gangs for the control of spaces for the sale of drugs, presumably to tourists, on the beach. The recently opened Hyatt Ziva Rivera Cancun Resort on Petembich Beach where the incident took place is hosting a weeklong LGBTQ event. It appears that the pandemic and the absence of tourists has destabilised the local extortion and drug supply chains. The state Governor spoke about the damage to the image of tourism and to the tourism recovery in Quintana Roo and that already 8 people have been arrested in connection to the previous incident in Tulum.

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