Sugarcane Leader Executed Amid Cartel Ties in Río Hondo

Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo — The wave of violence plaguing the southern region of the state has added another chilling chapter with the execution of Evaristo Gómez Díaz, who until recently led the Local Union of Sugarcane Producers.

The discovery of his lifeless body, along with those of his two bodyguards, a retired state police officer, and a judicial agent, showed clear signs of torture and gunshot wounds, according to unofficial sources. The incident occurred in the Río Hondo Riverbank.

This crime reignites concerns about impunity in the region and the alleged infiltration of organized crime into local power structures. Gómez Díaz was no stranger to controversy, having been repeatedly accused of ties to José Gil Caro Quintero, alias El Pelo Chino, the top leader of the Caborca Cartel in the state and other regions.

Parallels to the Case of El Cacho Fuentes

The execution of Gómez Díaz recalls another unresolved case: the disappearance of Carlos Nahum Fuentes Rivera, alias El Cacho, a sugarcane producer and advisor to former Governor Carlos Joaquín González. Fuentes Rivera has been missing since November 26, 2022.

He was abducted alongside Erick Adolfo Durán González, then Director of Economic Development in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, by an armed commando in the community of Álvaro Obregón. His whereabouts remain unknown.

At the time, authorities at all levels of government remained tight-lipped about Fuentes Rivera’s disappearance. However, pressure from family members forced the issuance of a missing persons report, with the primary line of investigation being his alleged ties to the Caborca Cartel.

Criminal Activities: A Common Denominator

Sources close to the investigation indicate that both Evaristo Gómez Díaz and Carlos Nahum Fuentes Rivera allegedly shared connections with illicit activities, particularly with the Caborca Cartel.

In Gómez Díaz’s case, he was reportedly linked directly to drug trafficking and his association with José Gil Caro Quintero, allegedly using his knowledge of clandestine routes and drug trafficking corridors along the Río Hondo Riverbank.

These activities, according to the same sources, allegedly enjoyed protection from high-ranking political figures, including some embedded within the current administration’s security forces.

Meanwhile, El Cacho Fuentes had been accused since 2016 of being the alleged liaison between the Caborca Cartel—led by the same José Gil Caro Quintero—and the previous state administration under Carlos Joaquín González, now Mexico’s ambassador to Canada.

The alleged purpose of this relationship was strategic control of the plaza, which includes key points such as the Mexico-Belize border bridge, international airports in the northern zone, and clandestine airstrips in the southern part of the state.

Previous Violence Against Gómez Díaz

The discovery of Evaristo Gómez Díaz’s body was not an isolated incident. The former sugarcane leader survived an assassination attempt last year in the community of Carlo A. Madrazo, where he was shot in the arm.

Additionally, in 2022, he and his driver were intercepted by an armed commando on the Juan Sarabia-Ucum highway, where they were held captive before being released two days later.

These incidents, as previously reported by Diario Cambio 22, suggest the alleged entrenchment of the Caborca Cartel in the region.

Authorities are now expected to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to clarify these crimes and bring those responsible to justice. The question lingering in the Río Hondo Riverbank is whether the deaths of these sugarcane leaders will go unpunished or if justice will finally be served in a region marked by violence and the alleged infiltration of organized crime.