Two Suspects Arrested in Cozumel Store Fires, Linked to CJNG Cartel

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Authorities have arrested two men suspected of setting fires at a supermarket and a convenience store on this Caribbean island, with officials linking them to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The suspects, identified as Ángel Alonso “N,” alias “El Flaco,” from León, Guanajuato, and Eduardo “N,” alias “El Grande,” from San Miguel El Alto, Jalisco, were turned over to the State Prosecutor’s Office. They were initially detained on drug charges but are now under investigation for the fires that occurred last Sunday.

Police officers spotted the two men exchanging multiple small bags containing a green dried herb resembling marijuana during patrols in the Miraflores neighborhood. Officers seized 16 ziploc bags, two cell phones, and two voter ID cards.

Julio César Gómez Torres, head of the Citizen Security Secretariat, announced that the suspects are believed to be connected to fires at the Bodega Aurrera supermarket on Calle 13 Sur between 75 and 85 Sur, and at an Oxxo store in the Altamar neighborhood on an unnamed dirt road between the transverse highway and Calle Alcatraz.

The official statement contradicts initial reports from Cozumel Mayor José Luis Chaon, who suggested the supermarket fire might have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Authorities now suspect both fires were intentional.

The two men remain in custody as prosecutors prepare their case, which will be presented to a judge to determine their legal status.

The incidents have caused alarm among residents, particularly amid recent nationwide violence. Authorities have increased patrols in commercial areas and strategic points across the island as the investigation continues.