By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-25 01:21:40 | Updated at 2024-12-25 13:23:46
12 hours ago
Cruise lines across the US have been urged to avoid stopping at certain Mexican ports as criminals run rampant.
The US Department of State has issued a 'Level 4: Do Not Travel' advisory for six Mexican states amid a heightened threat of kidnapping and murder as crime rates spiral out of control.
'Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico,' the advisory read.
'The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by US government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted.
'US citizens are advised to adhere to restrictions on U.S. government employee travel.'
Here are the six states the agency recommends not traveling to:
1. Colima
The State Department has asked citizens to refrain from visiting the port of Manzanillo in Colima as of result widespread violent crime and gang activity.
Cruise lines across the US are reportedly canceling stops on certain Mexican ports as crime continues to run rampant in sunny country
The state has a shocking murder rate of 22 per 100,000 residents – one of the highest globally - and has recorded 623 homicides between January and October 2024, the Latin Times reported.
'Most homicides are targeted assassinations against members of criminal organizations. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed bystanders. US citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping,' the advisory states.
The agency did provide an exception for the actual cruise port area of Manzanillo and noted: 'US government employee travel is limited to the tourist and port areas of Manzanillo. US government employees may not travel to other areas of Colima state'.
According to the Miami Herald, the Royal Caribbean has stopped sailing to Manzanillo as a result. The outlet further noted that Princess Cruises, a Carnival-owned company, still has ships set for Manzanillo in the next two months.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Royal Caribbean Cruises for a comment.
2. Guerrero
The federal agency has further warned travelers against visiting the Guerrero - a southwestern state that is bounded by the Pacific Ocean.
'Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero.
The State Department has asked citizens to refrain from visiting the port of Manzanillo in Colima as of result widespread violent crime and gang activity
According to the Miami Herald, the Royal Caribbean has stopped sailing to Manzanillo as a result
Alejandro Arcos, the mayor of the southwestern Mexican city of Chilpancingo, was killed and decapitated
'Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. US citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years,' the Department warned.
Two months ago, Mayor Alejandro Arcos was found decapitated less than a week after he took office in Chilpancingo, capital of Guerrero.
Disturbing photos on social media showed Arcos' severed head lying on top of a pickup truck in the city.
The 43-year-old's murder came as Chilpancingo was still reeling from the killing of its newly appointed city council secretary a week earlier.
'They have murdered our mayor of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos, and just three days ago the secretary of this same City Council, Francisco Tapia,' Alejandro Moreno, the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Moreno said both men were 'young and honest officials who sought progress for their community.'
Investigators and forensic personnel work at the crime scene where remains of Chilpancingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos were found in a vehicle
Just hours before his death, Arcos visited the Chilpancingo neighborhoods of Plan de Ayala and Yerbabuena and met with residents whose homes were damaged by the passing of the Hurricane John.
3. Michoacán
Cruisers have also been advised to not visit Michoacán due to 'crime and kidnapping'.
The agency further specified that federal employees should only travel on Federal Highway 15D to transit the state between Mexico City and Guadalajara.
On December 11, an American couple were executed while on vacation in Michoacán.
Rafael Cardona, 53, and his wife Gloria Cardona, 50, were traveling in a pickup truck when they came under fire and were shot to death in the municipality of Angamacurito.
Cardona was the brother-in-law of Angamacurito Mayor Humberto Pacheco.
US born Rafael Cardona was shot as he was driving near his home in the western Mexican town of Angamacurito and was rushed to a local hospital and died. His wife, Gloria Cardona, was also shot and died at the scene. Rafael was the brother-in-law of Angamacurito Mayor Humberto Pacheco
A spokesperson for the Michoacán State Attorney General's Office told DailyMail.com that American couple, Rafael Cardona, 53, and his wife Gloria Cardona, 50, were traveling in a pickup truck when they came under fire in the municipality of Angamacurito. Gloria died at the scene and Cardona was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died
Cardona's sister and the mayor's wife, Lucy Cardona, is the director the city's National System for Integral Family Development, the agency that focuses on family welfare.
Gloria, a naturalized US citizen, was declared dead on the scene and Rafael, who was born in the US, was rushed to a hospital in the municipality of Puruándiro, where he died.
A spokesperson with the Michoacán State Attorney General's Office told DailyMail.com that the couple arrived in Mexico on November 30 to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.
They said that Rafael and Gloria were just several blocks away from the residence they own when they were shot. It's unknown why the couple were attacked.
4. Sinaloa
The State Department has warned US citizens from visiting Sinaloa in fears of heavily spread violent crime by criminal organizations that are operating in the state.
Government employees have also been asked to travel to Mazatlan, Los Mochis and Topolobampo by air or sea only.
On December 20, a popular Mexican YouTuber was found dead on a dirt road with his hands tied and eyes taped shut in the state, as police he believe was tortured by notorious drug gang Los Chapitos.
Mexican YouTuber Miguel Vivanco was found dead on a dirt road and it is feared he might have been tortured by drug gang 'Los Chapitos'
Members of the National Guard and personnel from the prosecutor's office arrive at the scene, who have carried out investigations on the scene and ordered the removal of the body
Miguel Vivanco, also known as 'El Jasper', was found early morning on a road in the city of Culiacan, the capital and largest city of Sinaloa.
According to Spanish-speaking news outlet Infobae, 29-year-old Vivanco had at least 70 bullet wounds when he was found by his relatives.
His family claim that a group of hitmen had forced their way into the YouTuber's home on November 21, located in the Quilá area of Sinaloa, and had not seen him since.
But when his body was found, traces of torture became apparent as his eyes had been covered with green tape and he had been handcuffed and wrapped in a sheet.
Vivanco, who is originally from Culiacán, became famous in Sinaloa after uploading content to YouTube and TikTok.
5. Tamaulipas
American vacationers have also been cautioned from traveling to the state of Tamaulipas due to organized crime, sexual assault and murder.
'Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria.
'Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.
Members of the National Guard in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, Mexico
The state of Tamaulipas has various organized crime groups, whose main activities include human smuggling and drug trafficking. A smuggler prepares to transport young migrants towards the United States from the bank of the Rio Grande river in Ciudad Miguel Aleman
'Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo.
'In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime. US citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.
Earlier this year, at least 12 alleged cartel members were killed by the Mexican army in a shootout near the border with the United States, according to officials.
The soldiers were on patrol in the municipality of Miguel Aleman ( a municipality located in Tamaulipas), along the Texas border, when they were attacked by 'armed civilians hiding in the bush,' the state's security agency said in a statement published on X.
The gunmen who attacked the soldiers were alleged members of a drug cartel, AFP reported.
6. Zacatecas
Lastly, the advisory named Zacatecas as a state to avoid visiting in the near future as a result of intense violent crime, extortion and gang activity.
Nine bodies were found dumped on a street in Morelos, a municipality in the central Mexico state of Zacatecas that has been plagued by a turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Mexican cops guard the scene were five bodies were left wrapped in blankets and covered with duct tape in Fresnillo. An additional four bodies were also dumped on another avenue in the city. Five of the nine victims were identified, according to the Zacatecas State Attorney General's Office
Federal employees have also been asked to only visit Zacatecas City proper and been prohibited from all other parts of the state.
In May, nine corpses were found abandoned on a street in Zacatecas - which has been plagued by an ongoing battle between rival criminal organizations.
The bodies of nine men were left lying next to each other in Morelos while another nine bodies were found in the city of Fresnillo, according to CBS News.
The gruesome findings came a day after authorities discovered nine bodies across two main avenues in the Zacatecas town of Fresnillo, 29 miles north of Morelos.
Surveillance footage showed a group of men removing four bodies from a pickup truck and dumping them in the middle of the street before they took off.
The Sinaloa Cartel claimed responsibility for the killings by leaving behind messages next to the corpses.
