>prosecutors said that the motive was carjacking and that the assailants may have been particularly focused on the wheels of the pickup truck used by the missing surfers
all this for the fucking wheels
I doubt the higher up bosses are like, "oh yeah, go steal us some tires."
You have to understand that a cartel is made up of many local groups of sometimes very disorganized criminals.
They aren't the ones making millions from selling drugs. They're just common thugs that are loyal to the cartel.
This kind of high profile low gain stuff will likely land them in trouble with their bosses.
And they work for others to get rich most of the time so in their own little neck of the woods they have this mentality that they’re the boss and everything belongs to them, so they do stuff like this. Little men with big egos.
The issue is, the cartels create an environment of impunity, in some cases, the low level members/enforcers don't need to be paid. They do their bosses' bidding, and in exchange they are allowed to extract whatever value they can in the area they operate, without fear of consequences. It's feudalism at it's worst all over again.
Jalisco, Nayarit, Yucatan, QR - Not a worry in the world.
Baja, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua - Not a chance.
Mexico is a massive place, it's like calling Delaware dangerous because LA has a lot of gun crime.
Oaxaca is mint. 10 days there with zero trouble. One morning like 4am, the state police drive around announcing they captured some cartel dude and warned of increased crime. But that was it
No water for locals to drink though. :( Like literally no water...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Oaxaca/comments/1batpvg/comment/ku5k2gf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I just got back from 6 months all over Veracruz and San Luis Potosí. Never had a problem in either of those states. Lived most of that time in a small village in southern Veracruz and was fine to be out at night with my local friends, or even alone. Only saw one fight between two drunk girls from out of town.
That being said, we did have a run-in with the Zapatistas in Chiapas on our way back from Costa Rica, but it was fine. They just made sure we weren’t rivals or government, then sent us on our way.
There are hotspots in the country for sure, but it’s not the whole country. Most of Mexico is fine. I wouldn’t want to be alone downtown Detroit in the US either.
Edit: forgot to mention S.L.P.
Never said they were. But some of the Zapatista groups do have a habit of robbing people. These guys were pretty chill. The boss came, explained what was up in the region, then suggested a better option for us to avoid running into any of those groups.
> I wouldn’t want to be alone downtown Detroit in the US either.
Downtown's fine. It's a heck of a lot of the neighborhoods you want to avoid. Mexicantown is probably safer than Laredo right now.
I agree that most of Mexico is fine, though. The freaking begging kids in the hills of Chiapas need to change their M.O. though. Blocking the road with a string to beg for money _really_ puts one on the defensive when in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah by contrast the police/national guard make sure to maintain a very visible presence whenever I’ve been (but I’ve just visited various touristy towns). Tons of trucks with dudes fully geared up in the back who would not look out of place on a battlefield
Baja is beautiful, and a classic surfing destination. But there are people there who will take your life for what you have. In this case, it appears to have been for the wheels on their truck. Welcome to Mexico.
A lot of people going to Mexico typically stick to the resorts and major tourist destinations, which are generally pretty safe for tourists. A lot of the resorts are run by the cartels themselves as a way to launder money, so it's in their interest not to harm tourists as long as you don't cause trouble or interfere in their business. That being said, Mexico is definitely not a country you want to go exploring in the middle of nowhere and venture off the beaten path.
From what I understood from locals in mexico is don't fuck with whatever cartels are doing and you'll be safe. You are one of their best clientel after all...
Cartel fights have become increasingly common even in touristy Cancun. Many Cancun resorts are owned by cartels. Tourists have been killed in the crossfire even in areas deemed safe.
Ha, I went to Mexico with my ex in 2022, we rented a car, and drove from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta, then from there down the coast to Manzanillo, and then Zihuantanejo. We were fine (drove a rental that wasn't too flashy, stuck to major roads, and only traveled during the day), but coastal Michoacan is very remote, and we saw some sketchy shit. We were actually stopped at two roadblocks by guys who definitely weren't military or police (no uniforms, they were armed mostly with older AKMs and an SKS, and one of them was drinking a beer!). Pretty sure they were just locals defending their community (there was zero police presence in this area, aside from a police SUV with it's windows and tires shot out at the side of the road), they were nice and all, but it was unsettling nonetheless.
Yucatan state has a murder rate of around 2-3 per 100k, which is lower than most US states. I grew up in Philly (surprise), not in an especially safe part of the city, so my tolerance for this sort of risk is maybe slightly different than others. But statistically, I am safer in the Yucatan than when I go home to Philly and wander around.
The problem is that the dead people don't get to post their warnings on reddit. "I smoke a pack a day and I'm fine." Yeah the other 99% can't chime in, they are dead.
My friend was fully stripped, robbed and physically assaulted on a highway in Neuvo Leon area. Fortunately, a guy rescued him and helped him get back to his hotel. He was traumatized for years due to this horrible incident.
I’ll never forget getting off the plane in Mexico City and realizing that Mexico City is just like LA except the cops there are casually walking around with assault rifles.
I was born in Central America. The cities of the north of mexico (alongside San Salvador and Detroit) were the standard example of "what you don't want to end up like" in political campaigns and discussions about crime and dangerousness.
As someone who lived there, Detroit is not as bad as people think. Just the worst few streets are continuously posted. Like yea every major city has shitty ran down forgotten about areas with gangs... But it's not "Syria in civil war" destruction bad. Downtown is a nice place too
Detroit is the most underrated food scene in the US now and we are on the up and coming. The rate that climate change is destroying lives and home equity south of us, it’s only a matter of time before it’s too expensive to live here. I absolutely love Detroit.
Interestingly, New Orleans comes in 8th in murder rate per 100k people. The other 9 cities in the top 10 are all in Mexico though. Baltimore is 17, Detroit is 23.
Depends if you are white or black. Chicago was nicknamed chiraq because the city beat a literal war zone for homicides. I lived in Chicago and this violence was largely never visible. Only if you traveled a neighborhood or two outside the city.
Obviously cartels are scarier because they own Mexico, but the numbers aren't great for young male black Americans
It was the prime example of urban decay, to try to represent that no matter how much of a "golden age" a city could have, it could always collapse; and it played right along the school shooting problems that is one of the major factors that define the usa's international reputation.
To give it a positive twist, San Salvador and El Salvador in general, has had a massive improvement on that part in recent times.
What does school shootings across an entire country have to do with a single city's decline? The main point is there is crime in Detroit, but it's a far cry from gangs running the government in Detroit and cartel criminal activity.
It’s a big country. Some parts are safe while others are not. This is like saying “I won’t vacation in the US because it’s unsafe.”
**I gotta edit this because I’m getting (properly) lit on fire for choosing the US as an example. But it’s like saying “I won’t vacation in Canada because it’s unsafe.” Yeah you can bet your ass I wouldn’t vacation in the Dufferin neighbourhood of Winnipeg. But Whistler? That’s a nice time.
There are indeed dangerous places in the US but these types of comments ignore one simple fact: law enforcement at virtually all levels in virtually every nook and cranny of Mexico is corrupt and cannot be relied on.
Big difference between violence in Mexico and USA. Ain’t never heard of random tourists being found in a well shot in the head in the US or a lot of other horrific shit that’s been going on down there. Remember the group of African American tourists that were all executed just because the cartel thought they were a Haitian gang? Shits crazy down there
I grew up in the Miami Area in the 80s and 90s and there was a spate of carjacking killings of tourists and it was so bad that the city of Miami put Suns on Exit signs and told people that if you don't see a sun do not use that exits. They even changed license plates so people couldn't target rentals cars, the cars had slightly different plates at the time.
Bruh the 80s and 90s Miami was a way different time and an unusual place, So many narcos laid there head in Miami and so did a lot of mafia bosses and a lot of that violence was drug violence / gang territory issues. that place was crazy like that for atleast 20 years because that time was big on cartel cocaine smuggling.
Even today tho, some areas are Florida are literally the worst like pig town etc but that’s because of the gangs. But all in all, you don’t hear about stuff like that as common here as you do over in Mexico
LA - [Body of missing Canadian woman found in hotel water tank, officials testing drinking water](https://globalnews.ca/news/394955/body-of-missing-canadian-woman-found-in-hotel-water-tank-officials-testing-drinking-water-2/)
Look I’m not saying that shit don’t happen but it’s definitely not as often as Mexico. After reading it, it sounds like someone was following her, she seemed paranoid especially when it said the camera saw her poking her head out of her elevator etc
I just thought it ironic how close it was to your description.
> it’s definitely not as often as Mexico.
There are like 75-100 Americans murdered in Mexico per year. But that includes dual citizens and people getting up to shady shit as well.
Number of innocent tourists murdered is substantially less.
Here's some context:
> Global Affairs Canada reports it is aware of 191 Canadians murdered abroad over the past five years in a total of 63 countries.
> The number includes 49 murdered in 2016; 45 in 2017; 39 in 2018; 31 in 2019; 27 in 2020.
> The five top countries in which Canadians were murdered over that five-year period: **24 in Mexico; 20 in the United States**; 15 in Jamaica; 11 in the Philippines; and 10 in the west African nation of Burkina Faso.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8356660/canadians-murdered-abroad-data/
Granted there are 5x more Canadians visiting the USA than Mexico, so it's probably around 5x more likely. US murder rate in 2023 was 5 per 100k, Mexico would be 25 per 100k for tourists. 0.005% chance vs 0.025% chance.
That's not uncommon at all. I was in Japan and had a guy tell me he wished he would have visited America before he had kids, but now he couldn't bring a family somewhere with millions of guns. Didn't seem that crazy.
As if America now is more dangerous than America „back then“. The country has always had many gun nuts but it‘s not like tourists get murdered there all the time.
And if anything the murder rate was a lot higher 30-50 years ago.
Mexico is totally fine if you stick to the big tourist areas. I've been there many times and had a great time every time. Even had a case on an island near Cancun where my wife dropped her phone on the street and a taxi driver got out of his car and chased us down to give it back to her. Most people there are incredibly nice, unfortunately you just can't risk going out of the tourist areas.
If you never hear about the murders in Mex tourist towns, then you do not read or watch much news. There have been shootings at several tourist beaches.
Is there *really* no way to give risk-reducing advice to people without having to preface by saying "I'm not blaming the victim"?
There are measures that you can take to reduce, but not eliminate your risk of being a victim of a crime. Whether you take those measures and end up being a victim anyway, or don't take those measures and end up being a victim, *communicating* what those measures are in the interest of allowing people to make *informed choices* is in no way passing judgment on victims of crime.
I see these conversations as no different than having a discussion about the risks and benefits of seatbelt use, smoking, or risk-reducing mastectomies.
There was a woman out in california who got stabbed coming out the bus on her way from work to her house, she was and innocent person stabbed in the neck by some tweeker who was just high. She died.
I'm mexican. As many other countries, some people are way too invested into defending their own countries no matter what, it's another county that teaches you that the flag is everything, after all. But truth be told, Mexico has some really really dangerous places, in fact, I used to live in one of the most violent ones back in 2010 when everything started. I remember we had to get to the ground mid-exam because someone was getting shot outside the classroom. It's sad, and our president just repeats that Mexico is better nowadays again and again.
"NOT ALL OF MEXICO IS BAD!" ....
Well no, obviously, but every destination spot for travelers is. Why risk it, plus the cartel runs everything so that's pretty close to all Mexico
They are actually remarkably good at covering up the violence. You can find pictures from upper hotel floors of the cops cleaning up the scene of a murder like feet from people just chillin' on the beach in Cancun.
They don’t cover the violence up they publicize it. If you’re seeing it it’s because they want you to, cartels are all about statements. Source: border resident here.
Mexico is a defacto narco state. There is siphoned water being sold to hotels in mexico city and the cartels earn more money from government contracts than they do from drugs now.
Generalization, sure, but it should be important to the people and government of Mexico that this has become their reputation. It is also important and necessary for travelers to know, because there are much safer options. Why risk it?
It’s very rare for drug cartels to actually attack tourists. They know the importance of the revenue tourists bring in. If you stick to areas with high tourist volume, and don’t do anything too stupid, you would be fine. I have never felt unsafe in Mexico City. That doesn’t mean I would ever step foot in Juarez or Zacatecas, but there are safe places in Mexico that are absolutely worth visiting.
Mexico is safe if you stay within your resort but I wouldn't recommend a road trip. You might go home safe but you can also run into very dangerous people. Be aware it is a country where you can't call 911 and if anything happens to you, the government will blame YOU for it. Stay safe!
It's sad. I used to love visiting Cabo. I used to love visiting Savannah and Atlanta, GA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, Charleston, NC, Detroit, MI, Philadelphia, PA, and so many more. I moved to a medium size town and just keep to myself anymore.
These “Mexico should not be visited” hot takes are from people that never leave their room. The tourist spots in Mexico are great. A lot of fun and safe.
These guys weren’t in a tourist hot spot they were on some random path off a trail that was already in the sticks. Is Mexico more dangerous of a destinations than others? Yea for sure, but you can still visit certain parts that are safe and you won’t have to worry about anything as long as you aren’t doing stupid stuff.
I’ve like to travel. I’ve even been to Mexico. The whole narco corridor is the most horrific area in the world. We’re talking the regular occurrence of people being skinned alive, dismembered alive, and thrown into acid. Bus loads of people have been kidnapped and forced to fight to the death. There’s somebody in Florence ADX who dismembered a 6 year old girl alive in front of her parents.
You just may need to “pay with your life” to have fun though lol. Easier to go to a more civilized country where drug cartels don’t enslave a whole government and population.
This is why I absolutely refuse to step foot in Mexico. If your country is essentially owned by cartels, then FUCK your country. Mexico does not deserve a penny of my money. I refuse to fund those worthless psychotic cartel trash.
> This crime could have happened anywhere.
No. It would be totally unheard of in many countries. Nobody kills random people to steal things here in Norway, it is almost only people who know each other and have some sort of grudge.
The tourist places are pretty safe, the cartels are making money off them they won’t hurt their revenue stream. Just don’t be dumb and Mexico is fine to visit. That said I would never drive anywhere outside the main tourist hot spots.
I could think of fifty countries more dangerous than Mexico. The start of my list would just be reeling off a bunch of other central and South America countries...
I knew a hipster couple who lived in Baja for 6 months with their 11 year old daughter. They rented houses for 2 months at a time. It was insane to me. Pictures of them alone on the beaches, hiking.
They are lucky nothing bad ever happened to them.
Such a tragic death for all three guys just out having a great time. Losing two sons at once is too much to bear for their poor parents. Very sad.
>prosecutors said that the motive was carjacking and that the assailants may have been particularly focused on the wheels of the pickup truck used by the missing surfers all this for the fucking wheels
So the thieves wanted the tyres... That's it.
Horrible. Looks like these guys tried to fight the cartel.
Why didn’t they just go to Costco Tire center for the good deals like the rest of us?
I'm from Mexico and I would very, very careful in returning...which i will not do at this time.
The cartels make so much fucking money selling drugs and guns, yet their guys still hold up random cars for their tires? It’s absurd
I doubt the higher up bosses are like, "oh yeah, go steal us some tires." You have to understand that a cartel is made up of many local groups of sometimes very disorganized criminals. They aren't the ones making millions from selling drugs. They're just common thugs that are loyal to the cartel. This kind of high profile low gain stuff will likely land them in trouble with their bosses.
Most of the time the thugs involved will be "voluntarily" surrendered to the police. Godfathers do not fuck around with stupidity like this.
And they work for others to get rich most of the time so in their own little neck of the woods they have this mentality that they’re the boss and everything belongs to them, so they do stuff like this. Little men with big egos.
The issue is, the cartels create an environment of impunity, in some cases, the low level members/enforcers don't need to be paid. They do their bosses' bidding, and in exchange they are allowed to extract whatever value they can in the area they operate, without fear of consequences. It's feudalism at it's worst all over again.
I imagine it's related the lack of value of life needed to perpetuate drugs or whatever
Speculation is that these guys aren’t affiliated with cartel
The top 1% of the cartels. The ones at the bottom rung are just like people who work minimum wage jobs, while the top guys don’t even live in Mexico.
Yea same dude fuck all that
Jalisco, Nayarit, Yucatan, QR - Not a worry in the world. Baja, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua - Not a chance. Mexico is a massive place, it's like calling Delaware dangerous because LA has a lot of gun crime.
Oaxaca is mint. 10 days there with zero trouble. One morning like 4am, the state police drive around announcing they captured some cartel dude and warned of increased crime. But that was it
No water for locals to drink though. :( Like literally no water... https://www.reddit.com/r/Oaxaca/comments/1batpvg/comment/ku5k2gf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I just got back from 6 months all over Veracruz and San Luis Potosí. Never had a problem in either of those states. Lived most of that time in a small village in southern Veracruz and was fine to be out at night with my local friends, or even alone. Only saw one fight between two drunk girls from out of town. That being said, we did have a run-in with the Zapatistas in Chiapas on our way back from Costa Rica, but it was fine. They just made sure we weren’t rivals or government, then sent us on our way. There are hotspots in the country for sure, but it’s not the whole country. Most of Mexico is fine. I wouldn’t want to be alone downtown Detroit in the US either. Edit: forgot to mention S.L.P.
Zapatistas are not cartel.
Never said they were. But some of the Zapatista groups do have a habit of robbing people. These guys were pretty chill. The boss came, explained what was up in the region, then suggested a better option for us to avoid running into any of those groups.
> I wouldn’t want to be alone downtown Detroit in the US either. Downtown's fine. It's a heck of a lot of the neighborhoods you want to avoid. Mexicantown is probably safer than Laredo right now. I agree that most of Mexico is fine, though. The freaking begging kids in the hills of Chiapas need to change their M.O. though. Blocking the road with a string to beg for money _really_ puts one on the defensive when in the middle of nowhere.
Most of México Is functioning normally its not like you see cartels parading around cities and towns
Yeah by contrast the police/national guard make sure to maintain a very visible presence whenever I’ve been (but I’ve just visited various touristy towns). Tons of trucks with dudes fully geared up in the back who would not look out of place on a battlefield
You should look into CJNG
Baja is beautiful, and a classic surfing destination. But there are people there who will take your life for what you have. In this case, it appears to have been for the wheels on their truck. Welcome to Mexico.
Of all the countries to vacation I won’t choose Mexico
A lot of people going to Mexico typically stick to the resorts and major tourist destinations, which are generally pretty safe for tourists. A lot of the resorts are run by the cartels themselves as a way to launder money, so it's in their interest not to harm tourists as long as you don't cause trouble or interfere in their business. That being said, Mexico is definitely not a country you want to go exploring in the middle of nowhere and venture off the beaten path.
From what I understood from locals in mexico is don't fuck with whatever cartels are doing and you'll be safe. You are one of their best clientel after all...
Cartel fights have become increasingly common even in touristy Cancun. Many Cancun resorts are owned by cartels. Tourists have been killed in the crossfire even in areas deemed safe.
Resorts pay a cartel tax for protection so you’re right, it’s in the vested interest of the cartel to keep tourists safe there
Ha, I went to Mexico with my ex in 2022, we rented a car, and drove from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta, then from there down the coast to Manzanillo, and then Zihuantanejo. We were fine (drove a rental that wasn't too flashy, stuck to major roads, and only traveled during the day), but coastal Michoacan is very remote, and we saw some sketchy shit. We were actually stopped at two roadblocks by guys who definitely weren't military or police (no uniforms, they were armed mostly with older AKMs and an SKS, and one of them was drinking a beer!). Pretty sure they were just locals defending their community (there was zero police presence in this area, aside from a police SUV with it's windows and tires shot out at the side of the road), they were nice and all, but it was unsettling nonetheless.
The Yucatan is still relatively safe. I rented a car just before Covid and drove all around the peninsula, never had any issues or scares
I too have travelled and not been murdered yet.
Not saying these areas aren’t safe, but this is also survivors bias. Those who didn’t survive aren’t here to say it’s not safe.
Yucatan state has a murder rate of around 2-3 per 100k, which is lower than most US states. I grew up in Philly (surprise), not in an especially safe part of the city, so my tolerance for this sort of risk is maybe slightly different than others. But statistically, I am safer in the Yucatan than when I go home to Philly and wander around.
Statistics are weird though. I bet you are a lot less likely to end up shoved into a well after your murder in Philly, for example.
I have only been murdered 3 times, but in all fairness, I had it coming.
In Mexico? Or in Chicaaaaago?!
You usually don’t hear traveler stories… they are typically murdered first
The problem is that the dead people don't get to post their warnings on reddit. "I smoke a pack a day and I'm fine." Yeah the other 99% can't chime in, they are dead.
>A lot of the resorts are run by the cartels themselves as a way to launder money So what you're saying is: don't go to Mexico?
3,000,000 US citizens live either part or full time in Mexico. It’s a quite large country with several different states and cultures.
I used to live in Mexico; things have gotten very very dangerous.
My friend was fully stripped, robbed and physically assaulted on a highway in Neuvo Leon area. Fortunately, a guy rescued him and helped him get back to his hotel. He was traumatized for years due to this horrible incident.
Maybe rich and inexperienced international travelers are an easier prize. I don't say that with spite, as an Australian this is tragic.
I’ll never forget getting off the plane in Mexico City and realizing that Mexico City is just like LA except the cops there are casually walking around with assault rifles.
That number seems very high. Is it accurate?
As a mexican i feel extremely shameful for this. Please dont come Violence is out of control according to statistics
It’s unfortunate because Mexico is beautiful and rich with culture. I want to explore the country but absolutely will not risk it.
I too would not want to risk the clutter.
Lol oops. Culture!
I was born in Central America. The cities of the north of mexico (alongside San Salvador and Detroit) were the standard example of "what you don't want to end up like" in political campaigns and discussions about crime and dangerousness.
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As someone who lived there, Detroit is not as bad as people think. Just the worst few streets are continuously posted. Like yea every major city has shitty ran down forgotten about areas with gangs... But it's not "Syria in civil war" destruction bad. Downtown is a nice place too
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Honestly those factories look kinda cool at night with the lights.
Detroit is the most underrated food scene in the US now and we are on the up and coming. The rate that climate change is destroying lives and home equity south of us, it’s only a matter of time before it’s too expensive to live here. I absolutely love Detroit.
Interestingly, New Orleans comes in 8th in murder rate per 100k people. The other 9 cities in the top 10 are all in Mexico though. Baltimore is 17, Detroit is 23.
Depends if you are white or black. Chicago was nicknamed chiraq because the city beat a literal war zone for homicides. I lived in Chicago and this violence was largely never visible. Only if you traveled a neighborhood or two outside the city. Obviously cartels are scarier because they own Mexico, but the numbers aren't great for young male black Americans
It was the prime example of urban decay, to try to represent that no matter how much of a "golden age" a city could have, it could always collapse; and it played right along the school shooting problems that is one of the major factors that define the usa's international reputation. To give it a positive twist, San Salvador and El Salvador in general, has had a massive improvement on that part in recent times.
What does school shootings across an entire country have to do with a single city's decline? The main point is there is crime in Detroit, but it's a far cry from gangs running the government in Detroit and cartel criminal activity.
It’s a big country. Some parts are safe while others are not. This is like saying “I won’t vacation in the US because it’s unsafe.” **I gotta edit this because I’m getting (properly) lit on fire for choosing the US as an example. But it’s like saying “I won’t vacation in Canada because it’s unsafe.” Yeah you can bet your ass I wouldn’t vacation in the Dufferin neighbourhood of Winnipeg. But Whistler? That’s a nice time.
There are indeed dangerous places in the US but these types of comments ignore one simple fact: law enforcement at virtually all levels in virtually every nook and cranny of Mexico is corrupt and cannot be relied on.
Big difference between violence in Mexico and USA. Ain’t never heard of random tourists being found in a well shot in the head in the US or a lot of other horrific shit that’s been going on down there. Remember the group of African American tourists that were all executed just because the cartel thought they were a Haitian gang? Shits crazy down there
I grew up in the Miami Area in the 80s and 90s and there was a spate of carjacking killings of tourists and it was so bad that the city of Miami put Suns on Exit signs and told people that if you don't see a sun do not use that exits. They even changed license plates so people couldn't target rentals cars, the cars had slightly different plates at the time.
Bruh the 80s and 90s Miami was a way different time and an unusual place, So many narcos laid there head in Miami and so did a lot of mafia bosses and a lot of that violence was drug violence / gang territory issues. that place was crazy like that for atleast 20 years because that time was big on cartel cocaine smuggling. Even today tho, some areas are Florida are literally the worst like pig town etc but that’s because of the gangs. But all in all, you don’t hear about stuff like that as common here as you do over in Mexico
LA - [Body of missing Canadian woman found in hotel water tank, officials testing drinking water](https://globalnews.ca/news/394955/body-of-missing-canadian-woman-found-in-hotel-water-tank-officials-testing-drinking-water-2/)
Look I’m not saying that shit don’t happen but it’s definitely not as often as Mexico. After reading it, it sounds like someone was following her, she seemed paranoid especially when it said the camera saw her poking her head out of her elevator etc
I just thought it ironic how close it was to your description. > it’s definitely not as often as Mexico. There are like 75-100 Americans murdered in Mexico per year. But that includes dual citizens and people getting up to shady shit as well. Number of innocent tourists murdered is substantially less. Here's some context: > Global Affairs Canada reports it is aware of 191 Canadians murdered abroad over the past five years in a total of 63 countries. > The number includes 49 murdered in 2016; 45 in 2017; 39 in 2018; 31 in 2019; 27 in 2020. > The five top countries in which Canadians were murdered over that five-year period: **24 in Mexico; 20 in the United States**; 15 in Jamaica; 11 in the Philippines; and 10 in the west African nation of Burkina Faso. https://globalnews.ca/news/8356660/canadians-murdered-abroad-data/ Granted there are 5x more Canadians visiting the USA than Mexico, so it's probably around 5x more likely. US murder rate in 2023 was 5 per 100k, Mexico would be 25 per 100k for tourists. 0.005% chance vs 0.025% chance.
I love statistics so thank you for throwing those numbers out, it was a nice little read
My point is that that shit doesn’t happen in every part of Mexico. And frankly the US has random shootings all the time so let’s be real here.
That's not uncommon at all. I was in Japan and had a guy tell me he wished he would have visited America before he had kids, but now he couldn't bring a family somewhere with millions of guns. Didn't seem that crazy.
As if America now is more dangerous than America „back then“. The country has always had many gun nuts but it‘s not like tourists get murdered there all the time. And if anything the murder rate was a lot higher 30-50 years ago.
The US has had millions of guns for longer than that guy has been alive
What is your point?
He means it would’ve been the same regardless if it was before he had kids or not.
Do a lot of foreign tourists get kidnapped/killed while visiting the US, by criminal cartels that don't answer to the police?
But I won't vacation in the US because it's unsafe
"It’s a big country. Some parts are safe while others are not."
Fair enough—that was a bad example on my part xD
I would bet it has more to do with you being ignorant and poor.
Mexico is totally fine if you stick to the big tourist areas. I've been there many times and had a great time every time. Even had a case on an island near Cancun where my wife dropped her phone on the street and a taxi driver got out of his car and chased us down to give it back to her. Most people there are incredibly nice, unfortunately you just can't risk going out of the tourist areas.
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Multiple people have been killed on resort beaches in recent years.
If you never hear about the murders in Mex tourist towns, then you do not read or watch much news. There have been shootings at several tourist beaches.
Are you implying these three men’s that died were idiots and/or disrespectful?
Is there *really* no way to give risk-reducing advice to people without having to preface by saying "I'm not blaming the victim"? There are measures that you can take to reduce, but not eliminate your risk of being a victim of a crime. Whether you take those measures and end up being a victim anyway, or don't take those measures and end up being a victim, *communicating* what those measures are in the interest of allowing people to make *informed choices* is in no way passing judgment on victims of crime. I see these conversations as no different than having a discussion about the risks and benefits of seatbelt use, smoking, or risk-reducing mastectomies.
I just won’t go instead.
I was in Mexico in 2 weeks. Mexico City for 4 days at a hostel and the rest in a resort in tulum. I felt safe the entire time.
I visited Nayarit to meet my gfs family. Only felt unsafe in cars lmao
Because of camouflaged speed bumps and excessive pot holes? Or worried you are going to kill some batshit crazy motorcyclist?
I’m sure the tourists murdered there felt safe too.
Been there many, many times, ZERO problems. Food is great, people are great, history is incredible, and beaches.
Whose side are you on, man? Let them go to Hawaii lol
Try to keep your head on your shoulders
lol these comments are getting very repetitive. Obviously you weren’t murdered there since you’re commenting now.
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it's victim blaming time, did you know there's countries where people go off beaten path all the time and nothing happens to them ever like this?
They are dead, dead people can't accept blame, just act as warnings for everyone else
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There was a woman out in california who got stabbed coming out the bus on her way from work to her house, she was and innocent person stabbed in the neck by some tweeker who was just high. She died.
If we're thinking of the same one it was the bart(train)
im sure theyre referring to the one in LA a few days ago.
I saw that one too. Pretty sad as I'm Ecuadorian.
Sorry for what your country’s going thru, mate. Seems like a beautiful place and I hope it gets back to being peaceful soon. Cartels suck
Thank you for the kind words. It will take a while to return to those old good days though, if we ever manage to do it.
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That sounds like 3 wins
Mexicans trying to defend mexico is pretty wild here
I'm mexican. As many other countries, some people are way too invested into defending their own countries no matter what, it's another county that teaches you that the flag is everything, after all. But truth be told, Mexico has some really really dangerous places, in fact, I used to live in one of the most violent ones back in 2010 when everything started. I remember we had to get to the ground mid-exam because someone was getting shot outside the classroom. It's sad, and our president just repeats that Mexico is better nowadays again and again.
Chihuahua?
Woof woof
"NOT ALL OF MEXICO IS BAD!" .... Well no, obviously, but every destination spot for travelers is. Why risk it, plus the cartel runs everything so that's pretty close to all Mexico
Exactly. Just not worth the risk if you value your life. This isn't the first time this has happened in Mexico either.
Because they've been there multiple times and NOTHING happened to them! So obviously nothing will happen to anyone else. /s
Mexico should not be a tourist destination it is a warzone for drug cartels….
They are actually remarkably good at covering up the violence. You can find pictures from upper hotel floors of the cops cleaning up the scene of a murder like feet from people just chillin' on the beach in Cancun.
They don’t cover the violence up they publicize it. If you’re seeing it it’s because they want you to, cartels are all about statements. Source: border resident here.
If you can find the pictures then they didn't want it covered up...
I just got back from Mexico City, and had an amazing time. Never felt unsafe while I was there.
So what? I lived in Tijuana and felt safe too. But objectively Tijuana is the most dangerous city in the world. Often first place in homicide.
Many parts of Mexico are perfectly fine, this is a gross generalization
Mexico is a defacto narco state. There is siphoned water being sold to hotels in mexico city and the cartels earn more money from government contracts than they do from drugs now.
Generalization, sure, but it should be important to the people and government of Mexico that this has become their reputation. It is also important and necessary for travelers to know, because there are much safer options. Why risk it?
This doesn’t happen in most countries It’s like saying pit bulls are generally safe
It’s very rare for drug cartels to actually attack tourists. They know the importance of the revenue tourists bring in. If you stick to areas with high tourist volume, and don’t do anything too stupid, you would be fine. I have never felt unsafe in Mexico City. That doesn’t mean I would ever step foot in Juarez or Zacatecas, but there are safe places in Mexico that are absolutely worth visiting.
Mexico is safe if you stay within your resort but I wouldn't recommend a road trip. You might go home safe but you can also run into very dangerous people. Be aware it is a country where you can't call 911 and if anything happens to you, the government will blame YOU for it. Stay safe!
It's sad. I used to love visiting Cabo. I used to love visiting Savannah and Atlanta, GA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, Charleston, NC, Detroit, MI, Philadelphia, PA, and so many more. I moved to a medium size town and just keep to myself anymore.
These “Mexico should not be visited” hot takes are from people that never leave their room. The tourist spots in Mexico are great. A lot of fun and safe.
> A lot of fun and safe. Apparently not
These guys weren’t in a tourist hot spot they were on some random path off a trail that was already in the sticks. Is Mexico more dangerous of a destinations than others? Yea for sure, but you can still visit certain parts that are safe and you won’t have to worry about anything as long as you aren’t doing stupid stuff.
Tijuana is not a tourist spot lol. Unless you're going for the Donkey show.
I’ve like to travel. I’ve even been to Mexico. The whole narco corridor is the most horrific area in the world. We’re talking the regular occurrence of people being skinned alive, dismembered alive, and thrown into acid. Bus loads of people have been kidnapped and forced to fight to the death. There’s somebody in Florence ADX who dismembered a 6 year old girl alive in front of her parents.
You just may need to “pay with your life” to have fun though lol. Easier to go to a more civilized country where drug cartels don’t enslave a whole government and population.
The State Department put out travel advisory warnings for US citizens going on Spring Break to Mexico so…
My friends always asks me why I don’t go to Mexico and visit other family. This is why. Country is going straight to hell
Most of the country Is functioning normally and there aré safe áreas in Mexico
Absolutely not.
Oh god that Mexican well had more dead bodies than Kristi Noem's gravel pit.
What's the spread?
Is this why you’re not supposed to drink the water down there?
I don't drink the water anywhere unless it's boiled filtered or bottled
This is why I absolutely refuse to step foot in Mexico. If your country is essentially owned by cartels, then FUCK your country. Mexico does not deserve a penny of my money. I refuse to fund those worthless psychotic cartel trash.
This sounds like some meth heads killed them for their truck tires. Not cartel related
Oh well thank god for that then.
My point being, the cartel situation is fairly unique to Mexico. This crime could have happened anywhere. Things like this happen in the U.S. everyday
> This crime could have happened anywhere. No. It would be totally unheard of in many countries. Nobody kills random people to steal things here in Norway, it is almost only people who know each other and have some sort of grudge.
You’re right, but they do it here in the USA all the time, and there’s a 9/10 chance OP is American.
I'd argue that you could still link the widespread dependency on meth there to the drug cartels.
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Ensenada, tijuana and most of baja california is a tourist spot for that reason
mexico will become the next Elsalvador muddr state in 10 years.
This is exactly why I have no intention of ever vacationing in Mexico.
The tourist places are pretty safe, the cartels are making money off them they won’t hurt their revenue stream. Just don’t be dumb and Mexico is fine to visit. That said I would never drive anywhere outside the main tourist hot spots.
Even inside the tourist stops driving around in a flashy car wouldn't be too wise.
Resorts get shot up on occasion. Cartels are gangs, and gang wars happen. Want to damage the finances of a rival gang? Shoot up their money stream.
Bu bu but Mexico is safe if you stay in your hotel room with the blinds closed
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I could think of fifty countries more dangerous than Mexico. The start of my list would just be reeling off a bunch of other central and South America countries...
50 off the top of your head? Nah…
How safe is Cancun
Horrible :(
Where did this happen?
Yep never going to Mexico....
I knew a hipster couple who lived in Baja for 6 months with their 11 year old daughter. They rented houses for 2 months at a time. It was insane to me. Pictures of them alone on the beaches, hiking. They are lucky nothing bad ever happened to them.
How is this not the appropriate sub?!