Quintana Roo’s Rural Crime Crisis

Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo — The phrase “lawless border” is a description that increasingly fits the reality for communities along the banks of the Río Hondo, the strip that demarcates the border with Belize. This area has become increasingly unsafe for both locals and visitors, marked by high-impact crimes that have left a society living in fear of these “improvised” events.

The Ribera del Río Hondo, in the south of Quintana Roo, is trapped in a wave of violence that has transformed this rural and border zone, where executions have been selective, a situation exacerbated by institutional abandonment.

A Region of Abandonment and Fear

The Ribera del Río Hondo, suffering from 105 kilometers of neglect from Ucum to La Unión, is a border strip characterized by deteriorated highways, insecurity, a lack of basic services, and community fear. Communities such as Sacxán, Pucté, El Palmar, and Álvaro Obregón live under constant threats without protection or public investment.

There is an absence of effective authority. Security and justice institutions lack a constant presence and the capacity to respond to serious crimes. Contraband and trafficking, including the informal crossing of goods, people, and weapons between Mexico and Belize, occur without surveillance or regulation.

Rural violence, evidenced by the recent murders of sugarcane leaders Evaristo Gómez Díaz and José Antonio Delgado González, known as “Felipillo,” demonstrates that organized crime has penetrated agricultural and communal land areas. Furthermore, structural impunity prevails; despite public denouncements and evidence such as the “Felipillo” video, there have been no arrests or judicial progress in the Ribera del Río Hondo.

This southern region of Quintana Roo is undergoing an alarming crisis of violence. A historically agricultural and community-based area has become a hotspot of rural criminality with political and territorial implications. What is at stake is the security of community leaders who defend agrarian rights and denounce abuses, rural governance in the face of the advance of organized crime into areas previously untouched by this dynamic, and institutional credibility, given the omission and silence of local and state authorities.

The Murders of Community Leaders

The assassination of Evaristo Gómez Díaz, former leader of the Unión Local de Productores de Caña de Azúcar (ULPCA), was a brutal crime that shook the Ribera del Río Hondo and highlighted the growing violence against rural leaders in Quintana Roo.

On May 12, 2025, Evaristo Gómez Díaz was found dead alongside his escorts, Rigoberto Ricardo Ucán Dzib and Francisco Angulo Alcaraz, on a dirt road near the cemetery of Sacxán in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco. All three bodies showed multiple gunshot wounds and signs of torture, pointing to a planned execution. Gómez Díaz had survived two previous attempts on his life, one in October 2024, and a kidnapping in February 2022. He was an influential and controversial figure in the sugarcane sector, with internal conflicts and political tensions stemming from his leadership. The state Attorney General’s office opened an investigation file for aggravated homicide but has reported no arrests to date.

This murder is part of a series of executions of social leaders in Quintana Roo, including the case of “Felipillo,” also a sugarcane worker, who was murdered in Álvaro Obregón Viejo.

José Antonio Delgado González (“Felipillo”), a sugarcane leader, was kidnapped on August 3, 2025, and found dead on August 7 in Álvaro Obregón Viejo. His body showed signs of torture; he was bound and blindfolded. Before his death, “Felipillo” published a video directly blaming Manuel Pacheco, whom he accused of intimidating ejido landowners and women to dispossess them of their land.

These crimes, all committed with extreme violence and, in some cases, with signs of torture, have impacted various sectors including unionism, transportation, the sugarcane movement, and even the business arena.

A Climate of Fear and Institutional Failure

These events have led the population of the Ribera del Río Hondo to live currently in a state of fear and vulnerability following the violent murders of the two sugarcane leaders. These crimes have generated a climate of fear, distrust, and institutional abandonment in communities like Sacxán, Álvaro Obregón, and Pucté.

Violence is shaking the Ribera. According to police, the municipality of Othón P. Blanco—especially the Ribera del Río Hondo—has registered the highest incidence of crime in the state during the first half of 2025.

The institutional reaction has been insufficient. Although the Secretary of Citizen Security has deployed patrols, drones, and focused operations, there have been no arrests or substantial progress in the investigations. The state Attorney General’s office has been criticized for omission and slowness, while residents demand justice and minimum security guarantees.

The population is demanding prompt and expeditious justice for the murdered leaders, protection for ejido landowners and agrarian defenders—especially in conflict zones—permanent federal presence with rural security protocols, and in-depth investigation into the political, union, and criminal interests behind the assassinations.

Lack of Political Action

Faced with this situation, deputies in the Quintana Roo Congress have shown a concerning lack of concrete action regarding the violence unleashed in the Ribera del Río Hondo. Despite the murders of sugarcane leaders, cross-border contraband, and institutional neglect, there is no evidence of specific legislative initiatives to address this crisis.

Despite this escalation, the State Congress has centered its sessions on unrelated topics, such as reforms to the Judicial Branch or symbolic recognitions, without directly addressing rural violence. The only indirect mention came from deputies who lamented the violence in general but without specific proposals for the Ribera del Río Hondo.

The municipal president of Othón P. Blanco, Yensunni Idalia Martínez Hernández, has presented government reports highlighting supposed achievements in infrastructure, economy, and citizen participation. However, in the face of the violence in the Ribera del Río Hondo, her administration has been criticized for a lack of specific and forceful actions.

She has not issued specific public statements on the crimes nor demanded justice from the Attorney General’s office. No municipal operations have been deployed, nor has a rural security plan been announced. There is no evidence of coordination with Belize to address contraband and trafficking on the border. Community hearings to directly listen to the affected ejido landowners have not been convened.