Moment suspect is pinned down and taken into custody poolside at Cancun resort after four drug dealers were killed near hotel

  • The killings of four drug dealers near a Cancún hotel on Monday have been attributed to an internal conflict within the 'Los Pacificos' drug gang
  • Four suspects, two shooters and two private security guards, have been arrested
  • A $55,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of Héctor Flores, leader of Los Pacificos; the gang has alleged ties to Sinaloa Cartel 

This is the moment one of the four suspects linked to the murders of four Mexican drug dealers was arrested at a four-star all-inclusive Cancún resort.

The apprehension of the unnamed suspect took place Monday by the pool at the Grand Fiesta Condesa Hotel Beach in the popular tourist destination.

Footage of the detention showed a police officer pinning the suspect to the ground while hotel guests in their bathing suits stood by and watched in shock.

Quintana Roo Attorney General, Oscar Montes de Oca, told Radio Formula that the killings were sparked by an internal conflict between members of ‘Los Pacificos,’ a gang that is allegedly affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel.

A police officer pins down a suspect to the ground at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel

A police officer pins down a suspect to the ground at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel

One of four suspects linked to the murders of four drug dealers is arrested at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancún on Monday. The killings were sparked by an internal conflict, according to the prosecutor's office for the state of Quintana Roo

One of four suspects linked to the murders of four drug dealers is arrested at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancún on Monday. The killings were sparked by an internal conflict, according to the prosecutor's office for the state of Quintana Roo 

Two shooters and two private security guards remained in custody as of Tuesday.

The victims’ have been identified as Mexican nationals, although their names have not been released to the press.

De Oca’s office said three of the victims were located on a lot outside the beachside hotel along Kukulkan Boulevard shortly before 10am local time after police received reports of shots fired.

A fourth body was discovered by authorities in the lot’s undergrowth.

Initial reports indicated that the victims were hotel employees or tourists before the prosecutor’s office confirmed that they were tied ‘drug dealing activities.’

The Quintana Roo State Attorney General's Office is offering a $55,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Héctor Flores, leader of the 'Los Pacificos' drug gang that is reportedly affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel

The Quintana Roo State Attorney General's Office is offering a $55,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Héctor Flores, leader of the 'Los Pacificos' drug gang that is reportedly affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel

De Oca¿s office said three of the victims were located on a lot outside the beachside hotel along Kukulkan Boulevard shortly before 10am local time after police received reports of shots fired

De Oca’s office said three of the victims were located on a lot outside the beachside hotel along Kukulkan Boulevard shortly before 10am local time after police received reports of shots fired

Three bodies were found near the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel after the shooting at 10am local time on Monday. The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos on March 28

Three bodies were found near the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel after the shooting at 10am local time on Monday. The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos on March 28

Pictured: Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancún, Mexico (file photo)

Pictured: Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancún, Mexico (file photo)

The Attorney General’s Office linked fugitive gang leader, Héctor Flores, to the shootings and has offered a $55,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The incident came less than a month after U.S. State Department issued a travel alert warning travelers to 'exercise increased caution,' especially after dark, at Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts like Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.

The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos on March 28.

Pictured: A vehicle of the attorney general's office leaves the Fiesta Americana hotel after people were gunned down near the beach of the hotel, according to local media, in Cancún, Mexico, on April 3, 2023

Pictured: A vehicle of the attorney general's office leaves the Fiesta Americana hotel after people were gunned down near the beach of the hotel, according to local media, in Cancún, Mexico, on April 3, 2023

The motive for that incident remains under investigation. The wounded man was taken to a hospital in Cancun for treatment and his injury was judged to be not life-threatening.

Speaking of the incident on Monday, a witness said: 'Hotel guests were using an outside gym by a public footpath leading down to the beach.

'We heard shots ring out and the tourists were taken to the safety of an office beside the gym.

'They were kept there until authorities made the area safe.'

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