Man Used TikTok to Lure Girls Into Drug Trafficking in Tulum, Sent to Prison

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A man identified as Juan Carlos “N,” nicknamed “Coquerito,” has been ordered to pretrial detention after being formally charged with human trafficking on June 19, 2026. Prosecutors allege he used three minors to sell drugs in the heart of Quintana Roo’s tourist zone.

Specialized prosecutors arrested the suspect after uncovering his role in a network that recruited adolescents. According to the investigation, Juan Carlos N. worked for a criminal organization that targeted minors to transport, store, and sell narcotics in the municipality.

The recruitment began online. The three victims, originally from the states of Tamaulipas and Michoacán, were contacted through TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Recruiters promised them high salaries and fake jobs as waitresses or cooks in luxury hotels along the Riviera Maya to convince them to leave their homes.

The girls were given money and bus tickets to travel to Tulum, but upon arrival, the reality was different. They were allegedly forced to distribute drugs under threat. After being rescued, the teenagers were placed under the protection of the state child welfare agency DIF.

A judge ruled that the evidence presented by prosecutors was sufficient to impose two years of pretrial detention on Juan Carlos N. The measure aims to dismantle cells that exploit youth vulnerability to expand their illicit activities.