Cancun, Quintana Roo — Residents of the Ejido Alfredo V. Bonfil neighborhood blocked Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard on Friday night, halting traffic at the underpass leading into the delegation and stranding hundreds of motorists on the main access route from Federal Highway 307.
The protesters said they were demonstrating against officers from the State Police, part of the Secretariat of Public Security (SSC), whom they accuse of frequent abuses of power during operations.
The unrest erupted after the SSC announced the arrest of a man identified as Javier N., charging him with drug offenses and illegal possession of a firearm. Authorities also said intelligence reports linked him to criminal activity in Bonfil.
Residents, however, claim the man is innocent and allege that police planted both the drugs and the weapon to justify the arrest. According to the demonstrators, security camera footage from the scene contradicts the official police account.
The protesters also accused the same group of officers of routinely stealing valuables and cash from residents during preventive checks in the area.
Those maintaining the blockade said they will not reopen the road or end the protest until the State Prosecutor’s Office releases the detained man and investigates the officers’ conduct.
