Armed Taxi Drivers Abduct Uber Driver and Tourists in Cancún

The State Attorney General's Office (FGN) has confirmed the involvement of taxi drivers in the kidnapping and robbery of six Brazilian tourists and an Uber driver. The incident happened on Monday night in downtown Cancún. The FGN has launched an investigation to apprehend those responsible.

The victims, five men and two women, were abducted by armed individuals at the intersection of Pino street and Tulum avenue. They had requested an Uber ride when they were intercepted by two taxi cabs. The assailants forcibly moved the driver and the tourists to another vehicle and took them to an isolated area on López Portillo avenue.

At this location, the victims were assaulted and robbed of their money and personal belongings. They were later rescued by police from the Benito Juárez municipality. Although not explicitly stated in the official report, the victims' testimonies reveal that the taxi drivers were armed.

The prosecution, specializing in combating kidnapping and extortion crimes, has opened an investigation into the probable commission of aggravated kidnapping against the perpetrators.

Águeda Esperilla, a spokesperson for Uber drivers in Cancún, has condemned the ongoing aggression of taxi drivers from the "Andrés Quintana Roo" union and the impunity with which they operate. She stated that taxi drivers have recently attacked tourists in Playa del Carmen and Tulum Avenue in Cancún. In one case, a young man was severely beaten and left fighting for his life.

Esperilla expressed frustration with the lack of progress in these cases. Despite filing complaints, the culprits often go unpunished and continue their lives as if nothing happened.

In a separate incident, taxi drivers from the Andrés Quintana Roe union reportedly shattered the windows of an Uber car outside the City Express hotel, near the Moon Palace hotel. The driver reported the incident after dropping off tourists at the hotel.