Two Cancun Taxi Drivers Sentenced to 6 Years for Beating and Robbing Uber Driver

CANCÚN, Quintana Roo — Two former members of Cancún’s powerful Andrés Quintana Roo Taxi Union have been sentenced to six years in prison for attacking and robbing an Uber driver who was picking up three foreign tourists at the city’s ADO bus terminal in 2023.

The Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office said Alex Iván Cauich Kantún and Yorzua Waldemar Echanove González were found guilty of aggravated robbery in connection with the July 27, 2023 attack. In addition to the six-year prison sentence, each was ordered to pay a fine of 3,112.20 pesos.

According to prosecutors, the victim had gone to the ADO terminal in downtown Cancún to pick up three Greek tourists. As he loaded their luggage into his vehicle, five uniformed taxi drivers approached and told him he could not transport the passengers. They allegedly threatened to beat him if he continued.

When the driver replied that he was simply doing his job, Cauich allegedly threw a rock into the vehicle. Echanove then grabbed the driver by the neck while Cauich punched him in the stomach and took his cellphone. Prosecutors said Echanove also stole the driver’s wallet, which contained 1,000 pesos in cash.

Both men attempted to flee in different directions but were arrested by municipal police officers and turned over to prosecutors.

The State Prosecutor’s Office said the attack was intended to stop the victim from continuing to provide transportation through a digital ride-hailing platform.

A Case That Drew International Attention

The assault occurred during a particularly tense period in Cancún’s long-running conflict between traditional taxi operators and ride-hailing platforms such as Uber.

At the time, the July 2023 incident was reported internationally by the Associated Press, which described it as the latest in a series of confrontations involving traditional taxi drivers and vehicles suspected of working for app-based services. The two drivers were arrested immediately following the attack.

Only months earlier, in January 2023, tensions had escalated sharply after a court ruling allowed Uber to operate in Cancún. Taxi drivers blocked roads, confronted ride-hailing drivers and passengers, and in some cases forced tourists to walk or seek police assistance to reach the airport. The U.S. government subsequently warned travelers that disputes between taxi unions and ride-share services had at times turned violent and resulted in injuries.

The problem has not been limited to Cancún. In December 2024, police arrested three taxi drivers in Puerto Morelos after they allegedly threatened a tourist for attempting to use a ride-share app. Prosecutors at the time said acts that threatened the safety of residents or domestic and international tourists would not be tolerated.

Nearly Three Years Later, a Conviction

The six-year sentence comes almost three years after the original attack.

That makes the case notable not only because of the violence involved, but because it resulted in a final criminal conviction in a region where confrontations between traditional taxi drivers and app-based transportation providers have repeatedly generated public concern.

The court ruling does not suggest that the broader dispute between taxi unions and ride-hailing platforms has been resolved. But it does establish a clear consequence in one documented case: two former taxi drivers who attacked and robbed a platform driver while foreign tourists were present are now facing years in prison.

For Cancún, where transportation disputes have periodically damaged the destination’s image and raised questions about tourist safety, the sentence also sends a broader message that attempts to intimidate or violently block ride-hailing drivers can lead to serious criminal penalties.