Cancun, Q.R. — Authorities say a stance against drug trafficking was the reason for at least one of the recent Cancun taxi union murders. On Monday, Raciel López Salazar, the Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo, said murder victim José Luis Corral was killed due to his stance against the union’s link with drug trafficking.
He said this murder, marked by extreme violence, exposes the impact of organized crime on the transport industry. During the Monday security conference at the C5 headquarters in Cancun, López Salazar said that José Luis Corral died after being shot 20 times with 3.80 and 9 millimeter caliber weapons.
He also expanded on reports of the arrest of those suspected of this and other related murders adding that Alfonso “N”, then Interim General Secretary of the Union, and Óscar “N”, both of whom are in custody, “maintained links with a criminal group.”
Both are said to have orchestrated Corral’s murder in order to take absolute control of the union.
“They planned the murder because they wanted to control the union and the deceased was opposed to some taxi drivers serving as drug distributors in addition to resisting extortion,” López Salazar reported Monday.
He said two other suspects, Jonathan “N” and Juan Manuel “N”, also allegedly participated in Corral’s execution. They are also being investigated for the murder of two other taxi drivers, Miguel “N” and Elías “N”, he said.
Miguel “N” and Elías “N” were tortured on September 12 at the union headquarters for operating in an area that did not concern them, López Salazar said.
“We will continue with the investigations regarding the murder of three members of the Cancun Taxi Driver’s Union. Those responsible for this disorganization in the union must pay,” he said.
