Mexican National Guard deploying troops in Cancun following rise in violence

Mexico is sending at least 1,500 National Guard troops to Cancun following a rise in violence in the southeastern corner of the country.

The troops will station in the state of Quintana Roo and set up operations in or close to the city of Cancun, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at a news conference, as reported by Reuters.

The president’s announcement follows a Nov. 5 gang shooting at Puerto Morelos, south of Cancun, which sent tourists scrambling for cover. Fifteen cartel members arrived in ski masks by boat to execute two members of a rival cartel on a beach in front of a hotel.

Gang violence also erupted in Tulum, close to Cancun, on Oct. 20. Rival gangs engaged in a shootout, and an Indian woman and German man were killed in the crossfire.

Several cartels are competing for territory in Quintana Roo and Cancun, a hot spot for the drug trade and shipments of illicit substances into South America.