2 Key Cartel Figures Captured in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — The Attorney General of Quintana Roo, Raciel López Salazar, announced the detention of two high-priority targets considered generators of violence in the Riviera Maya. The individuals are Eladio, alias “Shocker,” 46, and Abelsasar, alias “El Cochiloco,” 30, both linked to the triple homicide of taxi drivers in Playa del Carmen and to activities of drug retail sales and extortion.

The first capture occurred on September 5 in Mérida, Yucatán, where “Shocker” was located thanks to coordination between the Attorney General's Office of Quintana Roo, the Secretariat of Public Security of Mérida, and the state attorney’s office. According to investigations, he headed a criminal cell in Playa del Carmen and allegedly ordered the execution of three taxi drivers for purportedly working with a rival group.

The second detention was carried out in Centla, Tabasco, where elements of the Secretariat of the Navy and the Attorney General’s Office of that state managed to locate “El Cochiloco.” According to the inquiries, this individual was in charge of the retail sale of drugs and the extortion of taxi drivers in Playa del Carmen.

The quotas imposed on the drivers were diverse and amounted to 2,500 pesos monthly per unit. Those who refused to pay were subjected to violent punishments, such as being “paddled” by accomplices of “El Cochiloco.” The economic pressure and threats made this network a factor of fear for dozens of steering-wheel workers in Playa del Carmen.

The investigation was strengthened after the discovery, in July of this year, of three bodies on federal highway 307, on the Puerto Morelos-Playa del Carmen stretch. The victims were identified as Adán Alexis, 34, originally from Quintana Roo; Saúl, 28, from the State of Mexico; and Jesús Alejandro, also from Quintana Roo. All operated as taxi drivers and were killed with shots from a 9 mm caliber firearm. Two of them had previously been reported as missing.

The results of the autopsy confirmed that Adán Alexis died from an impact to the heart, Saúl from a shot to the head, and Jesús Alejandro from cranioencephalic trauma caused by a projectile. The investigation established that all three were executed after being taken to a vegetated area on the orders of “Shocker,” with the participation of “El Cochiloco.”

Coordination With Other States

Attorney General López Salazar emphasized that both captures were possible thanks to joint intelligence work between the Attorney General’s Office of Quintana Roo, the Secretariat of the Navy, and the Attorney General’s Offices of Tabasco and Yucatán.

“These are two very important detentions of high-priority targets, generators of violence. Inter-institutional coordination was fundamental to achieving this result,” he highlighted.

The detainees were presented before a control judge, who linked them to the process for qualified homicide and imposed the precautionary measure of mandatory pre-trial detention. The Attorney General’s Office emphasized that investigations will continue to identify more accomplices and dismantle the criminal network that was operating in the tourist zone.