Illegal Land Sales Surge in Southern Quintana Roo

Unlawful sales of residential plots are on the rise in the southern region of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Secretary of Territorial, Urban, Sustainable Development (Sedetus) and the Cyber Police have shut down approximately seven unauthorized developments this year alone.

Armando Lara de Nigris, the head of Sedetus, reported that they discover two to three illegal subdivisions being advertised online daily. These plots are often located on land not zoned for residential use and lack basic services. "Every day, new 'developments' appear online. They lack the necessary permits and are marketed across our state, from Cancún to Bacalar and Chetumal," he explained.

Once these fraudulent real estate listings are identified, the Cyber Police and the state Justice Prosecutor's Office are alerted to initiate the closure process. However, this can be a lengthy procedure, as many of these fraudsters have established methods to evade closure, even seeking legal protection despite lacking the necessary permits.

Since 2022, over 15,000 plots have been sold in more than 20 unauthorized subdivisions. These subdivisions, which had previously been closed, are located in an ecological reserve area known as Cancun's 18th District.

These developments are primarily located to the west of Cancún airport's runways, along Huayacan Avenue and its intersection with the Cancún-Mérida highway bypass. Despite a temporary halt in operations due to the pandemic, closure operations were conducted in this area at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.

The area is intended to become a metropolitan park in the future, covering 869 hectares of conservation land south of Cancún city. Some of the real estate developments closed since then include Azulejos, Margaritas 1 and 2, Real Gelatao, Azzahy, Zacy, Dubay, Nuevo Amanecer, Manantial, Pedregal, and Pedregal Plus, among others.