Cartels Fuel Land Invasions in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Land invasions in this municipality have ceased to be solely a social phenomenon and have become a high-risk situation due to the presence of criminal groups operating behind the invaders, according to Quintana Roo's Secretary of Citizen Security, Julio César Gómez Torres.

"We have a problem with land invasions in Playa del Carmen that has existed for decades. Some organizations oppose regulation, and we also know that behind the activities of illegally seizing properties, there are criminal groups operating them; it is within this dynamic that these confrontations occur," he stated in an interview following the weekly security briefing.

The official reported that during recent evictions in September, gunfire was recorded. Police officers have therefore not only faced civilians resisting orders to vacate the properties but also armed individuals acting in an organized and coordinated manner.

He mentioned that although some families participate under the argument of needing housing, behind the occupations there are groups with economic or even criminal interests that seek to confront authorities to maintain control of the land.

"The authorities do not seek to confront society, but there are groups behind these incidents, and they are documented in the most recent evictions where there were reports of armed civilians who assault the authorities or at least fire shots," he pointed out.

He warned that the presence of these actors represents a dual threat: to the police officers intervening in the operations and to the legitimate property owners whose rights are being violated.

"On one hand, there are those who prove legitimate ownership of the land, as in the case of the Playa del Carmen ejido, and obviously there is resistance from the invaders. It is a dynamic that must be addressed with a focus on security to prevent it from escalating into confrontations between groups, and it must have judicial follow-up," he added.

The secretary emphasized that any police abuse will be investigated by the corresponding institutions, but he stressed that the principal challenge is to curb the participation of armed organizations before levels of violence escalate in Playa del Carmen.