Nearly 20 Cuban Nationals Detained in Cancun for Public Order Offenses

Cancun, Quintana Roo — Nearly 20 Cuban nationals have been arrested in Cancun over the past two weeks for public order offenses, according to local authorities.

Jorge Rivero Pech, director of Cancun’s Civic Courts, said the detainees were taken to the municipal detention center, known as El Torito, for brawls, disturbing the peace, and consuming alcohol or illicit substances in public spaces.

The arrests have been concentrated in the city center, particularly in Supermanzana 23 and along Yaxchilan and Uxmal avenues, where residents have filed frequent complaints.

Rivero Pech attributed the spike partly to a lack of adaptation by some foreign nationals to local social norms. “We make them see that they have to adapt to the situation and to the country, because the complaints have been about disturbing the peace, how they speak, how they behave. Many of them are consuming alcohol or some kind of drug on the street, and that’s why there are many reports,” he said.

The number of Cuban detainees far exceeds that of other foreign nationalities. Colombian nationals rank second in the statistics, though their numbers are significantly lower, Rivero Pech added.