Tulum Mayor Fires Police Chief After Coastal Operation Sparks Abuse Allegations

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Tulum Mayor Diego Castañón Trejo has ordered the immediate dismissal of the city’s police director, Óscar Alberto Tapia Gómez, following allegations of abuse against fishermen and residents during a coastal operation.

The decision came after fishermen accused police officers of setting up allegedly illegal checkpoints and acting aggressively when they returned from work Wednesday night. The affected individuals reported intimidation, threats, and physical aggression, sparking widespread anger among residents.

“In our government, the police are strictly here to protect and respect our people, not to harass them,” Castañón said in a public statement released alongside Public Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Edgar Aguilar Rico. He urged citizens to continue documenting and reporting any misconduct by police officers.

Edgar Aguilar Rico acknowledged irregularities in the operation and confirmed that the case will be reviewed by both Internal Affairs and the Honor and Justice Council. He explained that the checkpoint was part of so-called “itinerant preventive filters” implemented daily across the municipality as a crime prevention strategy, but admitted that the former police director’s actions “were not correct.”

The security secretary also noted that official cameras installed at the preventive filter will help clarify what happened and reiterated that citizens have the right to record police operations. As internal investigations continue, the incident has revived public scrutiny of checkpoints in the coastal zone and the behavior of some police officers toward workers and tourists in Tulum.