Tulum Officer Held for Alleged US Tourist Assault

Tulum, Quintana Roo — An officer with the Tulum Public Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat has been arrested and formally charged after being accused of attempting to sexually assault a U.S. tourist inside the municipal jail.

The agent, identified as Marco Alejandro N., allegedly committed the assault on August 27 while the victim was being held for an administrative infraction following a disturbance at a hotel.

According to the State Attorney General's Office, the officer, who was on duty, offered the woman a cigarette and a glass of beer. Later, when she requested to use the restroom, the agent accompanied her and entered with her, at which point he allegedly attempted to assault the victim. The tourist managed to resist and was returned to her cell.

At the end of the officer's shift, the victim reported what had happened to another officer, who allowed her to contact her husband. Subsequently, both went to the Attorney General's Office to file a formal complaint.

The Secretary of Citizen Security and Transit of Tulum, Edgar Aguilar Rico, confirmed that the department acted immediately upon learning of the case. "From the moment we learned of the news of the incident, we went to the cells, verified the situation with the on-duty personnel, and provided full protection to the citizen," he stated.

Following the complaint, an investigation file was opened, and an arrest warrant was issued against the officer, who was then arrested and presented before the competent judicial authority.

Aguilar Rico emphasized that the agent's behavior was a personal decision, separate from institutional conduct. "He is an active element of the Municipal Police who made that bad decision individually, and for that reason, due process had to be followed as it should be," expressed the police chief.

He also explained that the tourist was placed in the holding cells for an administrative infraction and that the officer's approach was inappropriate from the beginning. "She was placed in cells for an administrative infraction, and once inside, she began to exhibit some strange behavior; our element began to have contact with the person, it was incorrect, and there is talk of touching," he specified.

Currently, Marco Alejandro N. faces a judicial process for the crime of attempted rape and will remain in custody as the investigation progresses.