Originally Posted by
Palal
Well, there was a shooting in the
middle of 5th Ave in Playa del Carmen last week, which is as touristy of an area as it gets. I was in another part of town that night, but the police presence quickly escalated throughout.
Playa is basically caught between two warring cartels at the moment.
Never believe police are there to help. In some areas they are bought lock stock and barrel by a cartel, in others they’re just corrupt. In my home town, one year there were ~300
reported express kidnappings (the target is kidnapped and made to use their ATM / cash card, sometimes for several days); a commission established by the local Diocese determined ~80% of these abductions were carried out by Morelos state police.
More recently, aid supplies were sent to help earthquake victims. Local police diverted the trucks to warehouses under the supervision of the state welfare authority - the governor’s wife - and others owned by her son.
To get aid to the affected town we (friends and family members) bought items needed at Walmart and Costco, loaded them onto small trucks coveted by tarpaulins driven on back roads at night.
If there’s a kerfuffle, get away. If you see lots of police, avoid and go away. Get the benefit of local knowledge, wherever you are.