Shoplifting Rings Target Stores Inside Cancún Airport Terminals

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Retail workers at Cancún International Airport say organized shoplifting rings are targeting stores inside Terminals 2, 3 and 4, stealing high-end merchandise worth tens of thousands of pesos and walking away undetected.

Employees at the Sunglass stores inside the airport estimated that at least six thefts occurred over roughly one month, with thieves taking luxury eyewear brands including Cartier, some priced at 20,000 to 30,000 pesos ($1,100 to $1,700) or more.

Workers described a recurring method: suspects enter the shops in groups, with some distracting staff while others take merchandise. In some cases, they arrive carrying inexpensive replicas and swap them for the originals before leaving the store without raising suspicion, one employee said.

The most recent case involved suspects who were presumed to be Colombian, based only on the accents of those who served them, workers said. They stressed that the identification was not confirmed by any official source.

According to the accounts, the suspects already hold scheduled flights. After the theft, they head to the boarding area, where store employees find it far harder to track them once they enter the departure lounges.

In another case, four items valued at more than 50,000 pesos ($2,800) were taken from a shop. One worker spotted the movement, confronted the suspects and managed to recover one of the pieces before they left the premises.

Security Response Questioned

Workers said that when they noticed merchandise missing, they asked a private security officer from Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the company that operates the airport, for help. According to their account, the officer did not react immediately or request intervention from the National Guard. By the time the employee was able to leave the store to seek assistance, the suspects had already left.

The employees also questioned security staffing inside the facilities, noting that some guards work shifts of 12 to 16 hours, which they say hampers their ability to respond quickly.

The complaints contrast with the video surveillance system in place at the airport. Workers said the cameras capture groups entering the stores, but that does not necessarily lead to arrests or the recovery of stolen goods.

The airport maintains a permanent security presence, and the National Guard has carried out operations inside the terminals. On September 4, federal authorities reported a seizure in Terminal 2 during an inspection of international passengers.

The allegations once again put ASUR under scrutiny over security conditions at its facilities, and raise questions about what protocol private security officers are expected to follow when a store reports a theft — and why, in these cases, the response was not immediate. ASUR has operated the Cancún airport for nearly 28 years.