Quintana Roo’s Southern Zone: Who’s in Charge?

Quintana Roo, Mexico — The benefit of the doubt that the electorate and the MORENA party leadership in Quintana Roo gave to municipal presidents for their re-election in 2024 was a gamble that will put the Fourth Transformation (4T) political project in a difficult position during the 2027 elections. Instead of committing further to the citizenry, these officials felt touched by the hand of God and endowed with absolute power for political vendettas and, above all, for conducting business at the expense of municipal budgets, through influence peddling and corruption.

In 2025, the 4T project in Quintana Roo faced a crisis due to the lack of political and social commitment from those who head the municipal governments. After receiving their certificates of majority, they felt untouchable, believing their triumph was owed solely to themselves and forgetting the state-level political project to which they owe those victories.

Those governing the municipalities of Quintana Roo for the second time are failing to meet their obligations to the citizenry, primarily in matters of public security and basic services such as potable water, drainage, public lighting, pavement, and the maintenance of municipal roads and pathways.

They have all capitalized on the emblematic public works of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government and the continuity provided by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. However, they forget that as heads of municipal governments, they have a series of obligations to society clearly defined in Constitutional Article 115 and secondary laws, as well as their respective municipal regulations.

They believe that by simply belonging to the 4T, they are exempt from fulfilling their tasks as a municipal government. But the reality in Quintana Roo is different; social discontent increases daily because citizens voted for a true change from their previous relationship with PRI, PAN, and PRD governments.

A large portion of the citizenry is informed of their rights, and the omissions and actions of the authority that go against those rights are reflected in electoral results. Hence the importance that if they wish to retain power, they must conduct a real evaluation of their performance; otherwise, the electorate will do it for them.

Security and Economic Failures

Security is and will continue to be a priority for the people of Quintana Roo, as important as the economy. But in both sectors, the municipal presidents shirk their obligations and shift responsibility to the federal and state governments, the private sector, the press, influencers, social media users, or anyone who confronts them, yet they never acknowledge their own responsibility and lack of capacity to govern.

Living in a municipality like Othón P. Blanco, home to Chetumal, the state capital of Quintana Roo in the border zone with Belize, is like living in a minefield. At any moment, one can become a victim of common crime, organized crime, or even the police corporations, including state, municipal, and even the National Guard.

As reported on the morning of Monday, October 20, elements of the Rural Police found three men bound hand and foot with brown tape, in deplorable physical and emotional condition after being victims of a kidnapping for several days.

The police report indicates that the victims had small doses of drugs adhered to their clothing, a clear message from the organized crime that governs a large part of the Río Hondo riverbank. These are only three of a large number of people reported as missing in that area of the tourist state of Quintana Roo.

They were held captive for at least 90 days. A 35-year-old man was deprived of his liberty for more than 90 days. He was intercepted by an armed group in July on the Carlos A. Madrazo–Sacxán highway. He presents open wounds and a critical state of malnutrition and dehydration.

Another man, held for over three months, has a visible fracture in his nasal septum and purulent lesions; one more, held for two weeks, has clear signs of torture.

The three victims have so far refused to file a criminal complaint due to the terror of being killed or having something happen to their families.

A Crisis of Governance

This, among various known cases, is evidence that in the southern zone of Quintana Roo, the 4T no longer governs through the municipal president of Othón P. Blanco, Yensunni Idalia Martínez Hernández. Despite the refusal of the population and political groups in the area, who argued her incapacity to govern, the party insisted on ratifying her for the re-election, which she effectively lost. However, to reverse the citizen rejection, an operation of vote-buying and coercion was implemented so she would win the elections, and now we see the consequences: misgovernment, chaos, corruption, and a lack of efficient public services, while the rule of organized crime imposes its own laws.

It is worth recalling that in February and March of 2025, a wave of homicides left at least ten victims in a single week. Among the most serious events were:

• Five bodies found in Sacxán, on the Río Hondo riverbank, with signs of torture and gunshots to the head. On one of the corpses, a poster with an intimidating message was found: "This will happen to all those who are extorting and stealing," signed by "You know who," linked to the alias "Dumbo."
• Three dead in an armed attack in Melchor Ocampo, where hitmen fired from a gray truck at civilians in the community park.
• A man murdered in Javier Rojo Gómez while riding a motorcycle, and another killed in a confrontation with police in the Solidaridad neighborhood of Chetumal.

In addition to the homicides, tactics of terror have been used: arson of houses and vehicles in isolated communities, forced disappearances, and the use of tactical vests with false legends like "FGR" to confuse authorities. A merchant, Mauricio Arroyo Tulio, was found tied up alongside the bodies in Sacxán, evidencing the use of kidnappings as a tool of coercion.

Official Silence and Impunity

Municipal authorities have maintained a concerning silence regarding these events. Although the National Public Security System reports manipulated figures, sources close to the investigations confirm the presence of high-level institutional complicity that allows for impunity.

Across various security instances of the three levels of government, it is acknowledged that the Southern Zone of Quintana Roo is experiencing an unprecedented security crisis in 2025, where the law has been replaced. Entire communities live in a state of alert, and the lack of effective action by the state deepens citizen distrust.

Without a clear and transparent strategy, violence will continue to fuel fear and impunity. This persists despite the approaching 2027 electoral process.