PLAYA DEL CARMEN — A group of merchants, hoteliers and residents of the municipality of Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen), in Quintana Roo, have joined forces to create self-defense groups against organized crime.
“The authorities of the three levels of government don’t do anything to provide us security against crime, every day the executions, extortions, sale of drugs, and more crimes are happening, we won’t allow it anymore” , wrote this group in a letter delivered on August 7 to the federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR).
Quintana Roo self-defense group to fight crime and corruption. (PHOTO: proceso.com.mx)
In its letter, the group demanded specifically the execution of a federal operation against the crime and requested canine units of the Military Police to detect small drug dealers.
“We want a precise and synchronized deployment in ten strategic points of the tourist heart, without giving notice to the local authorities, points that will be indicated by a group of civil intelligence that is financed by entrepreneurs of Playa de Carmen,” they noted.
“We have decided to organize several self-defense groups since all the officials that have been sent for their simulated operations have been a complete failure. Federal, state, and municipal police officers collect payroll from criminal organizations, and if they resist it they are executed”.
The letter was sent with a copy to the Federal Security Cabinet, and the signatories noted the social harassment that began with the shooting at the “Blue Parrot” nightclub, at the beginning of the year, an incident that hasn’t resulted in any arrests yet.
“We also know and we have evidence that Solidaridad City Hall staff is controlled by organized crime to extort with bills on the Fifth Avenue of permits, operating licenses, tourist information locations, modules for the sale of tourist services, street vendors, taxis, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, travel agencies, etc., ” they added.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of Public Security of Quintana Roo (SSP), Rodolfo del Angel Campos, reported that following the arrest of Doña Lety, alleged narco leader in Cancun, authorities have strengthened security in the 11 municipalities of the state, for which they have 4,200 state and municipal police officers.
“We are with all the preventive measures reinforcing the security of all the municipalities. All directors have instructions to be aware of the most crowded areas and revenues to the municipal head, to carry out coordinated patrols with the authorities of the three orders of government, mainly with the Army and Navy,” said the official.
Leticia Rodríguez Lara, Doña Lety or La 40, presumed leader of a drug cartel in Cancun, was arrested on Wednesday, August 9 by members of the Federal Police (PF) and the Navy Secretariat (Semar) in Puebla.
Leticia Rodríguez Lara, known as ‘Doña Lety’ or ‘La 40’ (Photo: Diario de Yucatán)
Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquín González said Doña Lety’s apprehension means a process for the sake of state security.
In September 2016, the commander of the Tenth Military Region based in Yucatan, Gustavo Nieto Navarro, revealed the existence of a new drug cartel operating in the north of Quintana Roo, which is composed of people that have left other criminal organizations. This group was led by Doña Lety, indicated as the cause of the escalation of violence in Cancun.
The arrest of Leticia Rodríguez is considered a strong blow to the structure of the organization that managed to position itself in the drug trade for four years and to displace the criminal organization of Los Zetas in that entity.
Originally from Veracruz, Rodríguez Lara arrived in Cancún and formed a group with deserters from Los Zetas, Gulf Cartel and ex-convicts, who even displaced the Special Forces Zetas of the state.
In addition to drug sales, its activity expanded to other illicit activities such as illegal immigrants, according to reports from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). Its area of influence was the tourist area of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
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