Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — A total of seven male suspects are in custody in relation to the weekend murder of a Cancun police officer. On Tuesday, the Quintana Roo Attorney General (FGE) confirmed the arrests of seven people from the 307 federal highway.
All seven are believed related to the November 16 murder of an investigation agent who was found shot to death during an ambush. According to authorities, the officer was found gunned down after being shot 10 times.
The officer was an active member of the city’s narcotics unit. He was off duty walking to his private vehicle Sunday morning when he was shot in a Cancun parking lot.
A total of three vehicles and six weapons were seized during the Monday highway stop.
During their arrests, police confirmed that three of the weapons seized and the spent casings, according to ballistic tests, match those used in the homicide.
In a statement, “the State Attorney General’s Office announced that after technological, field and office investigation work, in less than 24 hours they located and arrested seven men allegedly related to events possibly constituting the crime of aggravated homicide against an Investigation Police officer assigned to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Drug Trafficking in Cancun.”
In custody are César Alexis “N”, Gregorio Nicolás “N”, Óscar Omar “N”, Juan José “N”, Juan Ricardo “N”, José Daniel “N” and a minor, “who, according to the first investigations, allegedly took the life of the policeman.”
All seven were taken into custody Monday from the federal highway just north of the city of Playa del Carmen. Police located their vehicles, three cars painted as PDC taxis.
“At the time of their arrests on the Playa del Carmen-Tulum highway, agents seized two long firearms and three short firearms as well as magazines and live cartridges, in addition, among their belongings they also had green and dry herb with the characteristics of marijuana,” the FGE reported.
At the crime scene, forensic experts found 17 cartridges, noting that the victim was struck by 10 bullets. According to ballistic tests, three of the weapons seized from the detainees Monday match those used in the homicide.
The detainees were also found in possession of three Playa del Carmen taxi-type vehicles: a Kia Rio, a Nissan Versa-Driver and a Nissan Tiida.
Following their arrests, all seven male suspects were placed at the disposal of the corresponding authority.
