Mototaxi burned in Cancun amid union turf war

Cancun, Quintana Roo — A mototaxi was set on fire in Cancun early Saturday morning, an escalation in a dispute between two driver unions over control of a taxi stand. The attack left the vehicle a total loss and included a threatening message.

Residents of the Villas del Mar neighborhood, third stage, called emergency services around 2:00 a.m. to report a mototaxi burning at the intersection of Paseo Las Gardenias and De Crisantemos streets. Municipal police officers and firefighters responded to the scene.

Officers confirmed the burning vehicle was a blue mototaxi belonging to the IslaCun union. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the mototaxi was completely consumed. A second vehicle nearby sustained partial damage after someone doused it with gasoline.

Authorities found a banner with a warning message at the site addressed to a man identified as “El Gamboa.” Police detained the man and turned him over to the State Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.

The burned mototaxi was seized and towed to an impound lot as evidence.

Members of the IslaCun union said the arson was retaliation by the rival Fesoc union. The two groups have been feuding since Wednesday over control of a taxi stand and pickup site on Los Tules Avenue, next to a Chedraui supermarket in the Kabah shopping plaza.

The conflict began when drivers from the two unions, who had been alternating passengers, started arguing over competition for fares.

IslaCun drivers threatened reprisals against Fesoc on WhatsApp, stating they would block Fesoc vehicles from entering the Villas Otoch and first stage Villas del Mar areas starting this weekend.