Tulum, Q.R. — The Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo reported that the six bodies found last week in the municipality of Tulum were murdered by other gang members.
On Sunday afternoon, Óscar Montes de Oca confirmed that all six were killed by Los Pelones gang members. The bodies were found on August 12 and 13 on Ejido property in the municipality of Tulum after police arrested four Los Pelones members.
The four arrested members are Luis X, Ricardo B, Leonardo T and Rafael O, who is reported to be the leader. Montes de Oca said the six people killed were also members of the same gang.
All six were found in an advanced state of decomposition in jungle area last week. They were located after police arrested the four Los Pelones members. Montes de Oca said that a member of the same criminal group, under the “criterion of opportunity”, provided information for the capture of the four detainees for the murders.
Montes de Ocar clarified that Rafael O is a leader of the criminal organization that carried out the murders. All involved were drug distributors for Los Pelones in Tulum, however, they also worked for another criminal organization which put them in the spotlight.
“According to our investigation, it was possible to determine that the missing victims were also part of the same criminal group carrying out drug sales and distribution activities and were assigned to the Tulum bar area,” the prosecutor said.
“However, they were found out by their perpetrators when they learned that they were also selling and distributing drugs from an antagonistic group, so they decided to kidnap and kill them,” he added.
As part of their ongoing investigation, a taxi driver who participated in the distribution of drugs was also identified as being a member of Los Pelones. He is said to have participated in the kidnappings of the six people found dead. After a follow up, the FGE explained that the four allegedly responsible for the six homicides were arrested.
On August 12, police identified other probable participants who have since been arrested on drug and firearm charges.
The six dead bodies found in the jungle were reported missing between July 13 and August 5 and were from Comalcalco, Tabasco, the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Chetumal, Quintana Roo. An autopsy has revealed all six, five men and one woman, were tortured before being shot to death.