Cancún Commander Wounded During Intervention, Not Targeted Attack, Prosecutor Says

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The State Prosecutor’s Office has denied that an armed attack on a senior police commander was a direct hit, saying he intervened in a drug-related shooting and was injured in the process.

At a security briefing Monday, State Prosecutor Raciel López Salazar said Commander Josué Rosales, head of the Anti-Narcotics Division, was at the scene on Huayacán Avenue by coincidence last Wednesday. Rosales and another agent witnessed two men on a motorcycle open fire on the driver of a Ford Lobo pickup truck.

Rosales shot and wounded one of the attackers, López said. The second assailant fled but was arrested minutes later. However, as Rosales intervened, an alleged accomplice driving a black truck ran him over, fracturing his fibula.

The prosecutor emphasized that Rosales was discharged from the hospital the same day and is recovering at home, contradicting rumors on social media that he had been killed. Investigators seized the weapon allegedly used by the attackers.

López also announced that the investigation has led to the dismantling of a drug distribution network. Authorities determined that the initial “victim” in the attack was part of a marijuana distribution ring and was en route to deliver drugs that night.

Seven additional suspects have been identified, and two properties used for storing and processing marijuana were raided. Police seized 120 kilograms of marijuana and various long guns.

“Let it be clear: the commander has a fractured fibula, and thanks to his bravery in confronting those criminals, we had the opportunity, as an inter-institutional group, to dismantle this criminal gang,” López said.