Americans are being warned 'it's not worth' travelling to Mexico for a holiday by an ex-cop.
Michael Alcazar, a former officer of the New York City Police Department, is warning that the country has "never been more dangerous" for US citizens.
Mr Alcazar advised that young Americans should not assume that they will be treated fairly or have their rights respected if they decide to travel there.
His stark warning comes as the US State Department issued a travel alert for Americans planning to spend Spring break in Mexico.
The alert warns travellers to “exercise increased caution”, especially after dark at beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.
Mr Alcazar stressed that they are actively looking for unsuspecting Americans with money.
He warned that drug cartel members are dangerous, have no morals and are not averse to torturing people.
To stay safe, he advises that Americans should travel in groups, not flash their cash, and be cautious about their fashion, jewellery, and luggage, as these can signal wealth and make them a target for cartels.
He told the Sun: “Right now, it’s very volatile and the cartels are out of control. It’s dangerous to travel.
“It’s not worth getting hurt, or killed, or kidnapped for a couple [of] weeks break from college.”
Finally, he warned against excessive alcohol consumption while partying, as it can make people vulnerable to kidnapping.
According to the alert, “US citizens should exercise increased caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break locations including Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum, especially after dark".
The State Department also noted that US citizens “have become seriously ill or died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills.”
That warning followed reports that some pharmacies in Mexico freely offer sedatives and other drugs that can only be sold with prescriptions in the United States. The Mexican pills are often counterfeit and contain the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The alert also noted that “unregulated alcohol may be contaminated, and U.S. citizens have reported losing consciousness or becoming injured after consuming alcohol that was possibly tainted.”
There have been a series of brazen acts of violence along the Caribbean coast, the crown jewel of Mexico’s tourism industry.
In 2022, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs.
In 2021, farther south in the laid-back destination of Tulum, two tourists — one a California travel blogger born in India and the other German — were caught in the apparent crossfire of rival drug dealers and killed.
In latest incidents, three women who travelled from Texas to Mexico in late February have been missing since, while four Americans were kidnapped allegedly by drug cartel members.
Two of them were found dead and two alive, and five men, allegedly members of drug cartels, were turned in a few days later.
