Inside Cancún’s Hotel Zone: A Security Expert Reveals Organized Crime Secrets

José Félix Ramajo Blanco, an esteemed security expert from the International Security Academy (ISA) in Israel, has shed light on the influence of organized crime in Cancún's hotel zone. In 2019, while working in Cancún, he observed how organized crime groups took control of events such as concerts. Ramajo's accounts, based on his experiences working with a hotel chain in Cancún, underscore the pervasive and challenging influence of organized crime in the Riviera Maya's tourism sector.

Ramajo's tenure in Mexico, specifically with the Be Live hotel chain of Globalia, exposed him to a landscape where organized crime was an unwelcome yet unavoidable partner. From the inception of a hotel project in Cancún, Ramajo witnessed the local cartel's strong-arm tactics, including demanding payments and quotas for the sale of drugs on the premises. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel members even insisted on controlling the drug sales at each concert.

After refusing to comply with the cartel's conditions, Ramajo was confined to the hotel for two months. He stated, "In Mexico, you cannot turn to the police or anyone else; you must negotiate directly with the cartel." He further explained that business owners must accept these terms to operate without disruptions. Eventually, he acquiesced to the cartel's demands, allowing hitmen to sell drugs on the hotel's beach and compensating them to prevent interference in the concerts.

Ramajo highlighted a key distinction between organized crime in Mexico and other countries: the high degree of professionalism among criminals, many of whom have backgrounds in security forces like the military and police. This infiltration provides cartels with insider knowledge of the tourism industry, from hotel occupancy rates to event attendees' names, fostering an environment where criminal influence pervades all aspects of life.

The severity of this situation has led some businesspeople, such as Spanish entrepreneur Abel Matutes of the Palladium Group, to abandon projects in Mexico, citing the inability to negotiate with the cartels. For many investors, these groups pose an insurmountable obstacle to the growth of tourism projects in the country.

Ramajo's experiences have led him to label Mexico a "failed state" where "authority does not exist". He asserts that the well-being of citizens and visitors is left to the mercy of criminal groups, who control areas like Cancún, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen with remarkable firepower and sophistication.

Ramajo's account underscores a complex issue that impacts Mexico's security perception, particularly in popular tourist destinations. His experiences invite contemplation on the effect of organized crime on daily life and the country's economic development. Ultimately, Ramajo had to leave not just Cancún, but Mexico entirely, after the cartel invited him to train new hitmen.