FROM brutal beheadings to violent kidnappings, the cartel wars of Mexico's Caribbean coast has unleashed horror just yards away from luxury resorts. Violent drug gangs are waging a bloody war in the tourist haven of Quintana Roo - visited by thousands of Brit holidaymakers each year seeking paradise. 14 A member of the Sinaloa Cartel who identifies himself as Guero poses for a photo in a safe house in Culiacan, Mexico Credit: Reuters 14 Soldiers patrol a beach in Cancun, Mexico, in 2023 Credit: EPA 14 One of three bodies with signs of torture that were washed ashore by the sea at Icacos beach, in Acapulco, Mexico in 2022 Credit: Reuters 14 A hooded resident of Tecoanapa, in the Mexican southern state of Guerrero, in 2013 Credit: AFP 14 Heavily-armed cops patrol the beaches of Cancun to tackle the staggering murder rate Credit: James Breeden - The Sun 14 Members of the Mexican Navy participate in an amphibious rescue practice as tourists watch on in horror Credit: Rex Half a million UK tourists visit each year to areas like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
But the stretch of paradise is blighted by cartels battling for power and territory. SUN, SEA AND SLAUGHTER In recent years, Brit holiday hotspots in the country have been plagued with grisly murders by gang members. The murderous gangsters have been creeping out of the Mexican barrios, or neighbourhoods, and closer to the tourist enclaves.
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