CANCUN.– The Xcaret hotel in Playa del Carmen was the scene of an armed attack against three Canadian tourists on January 21, a subject dressed in gray sportswear entered, shot at the victims and escaped from the facilities without being captured by the authorities. or private security personnel. The murdered men were identified as Robert James Dinh and Thomas Abraham Cherukara, both related to a criminal group dedicated to drug and arms trafficking.
After four days, the first investigations of the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) confirmed the capture of Christian "R" and Nhu "T" for the double homicide against two men and an attempted homicide against a woman who were staying at the Xcaret hotel.
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According to the Quintana Roo Prosecutor, Oscar Montes de Oca, the motive for the murder of both Canadians is related to an economic debt they had related to the transnational illicit activities in which they participated.
One of the participants in the homicide was identified as Christian "R", he is Mexican and was part of a criminal group dedicated to kidnapping and was hired to do a new job, for which he moved to Quintana Roo along with two companions plus the last January 16 to receive information about the Canadian Robert James Dinh.
The prosecutor explained that Christian "R" from January 17 to 20 kept watching the Canadian inside and outside the Xcaret hotel. The aggressor was able to enter the hotel complex by buying a "day pass" to access all areas, and also received information by telephone. However, he was unable to deprive the Canadian of his life because there was surveillance.
(Image of the alleged killer of Canadian tourists)
Later, on January 21, the criminal group gave orders to pick up a new hit man at the Cancun International Airport who would be in charge of executing Robert James Dinh, they returned to the Xcaret hotel and this time they acquired lodging bracelets that allowed them to stay. temporarily.
That same afternoon, after 2:45 p.m., Christian "R" agreed with the other subject, —identified as the perpetrator of the homicide and who has not been arrested or identified by the authorities— that he would wait for him at some point to escape. of the hotel at the time of the murder.
The gunman got to the vehicle, took off the gray sportswear he was wearing, and got into the trunk to be transferred by Christian "R" and escape from the Xcaret hotel.
NHU WAS A BABYSITTER TO THE CHILDREN OF MURDERED CANADIANS
Canadians Robert James Dinh and Thomas Abraham Cherukara, were on vacation in Playa del Carmen with a group of 10 people, including four children and seven adults, in the same group also traveling Nhu "T", who was in charge of taking care of the children of the Canadian victims.
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They all arrived at the tourist destination on January 15 and their reservations ended on January 22. During their stay, they paid for five rooms at the Xcaret hotel.
Regarding the participation of Nhu "T", the Quintana Roo Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the woman was traveling with the group of vacationers; and that in the video cameras it was possible to identify that she spoke with the aggressor that she shot at the Canadians at least 40 minutes before the homicide.
For his part, Christian "R" later escaped to Cancun and hid in an apartment complex that he rented from Mexico City and it was on January 24 when he was identified and captured by also locating the vehicle in which the participants of the homicide, maintains the FGE.
When questioned about security in lodging centers, the Quintana Roo Prosecutor added that it will be necessary to meet with the hotel sector to analyze and assess the levels of security they have at the private level and, if necessary, to modify protocols. tourist entry security.
The transnational crimes in which Canadians Robert James Dinh and Thomas Abraham Cherukara are involved should be investigated by the Attorney General's Office (FGR), in coordination with Canadian authorities and Interpol, said the Quintana Roo Prosecutor.
COPARMEX DEFENDS XCARET GROUP
Regarding insecurity in tourist destinations, the Employers' Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) through an official statement spoke out against criminal acts that put companies, families and tourists at risk.
The Xcaret group is part of the members of the business chamber in Quintana Roo, for which Coparmex confirmed that they will support the tourism company in clarifying this criminal act that occurred on January 21 at the hotel complex, which left two fatalities of Canadian origin and who in turn are related to transnational criminal groups in drug and arms trafficking.
The business association regretted the events that occurred and asked the authorities of the three levels of government to work on programs and strategies to prevent high-impact crimes and protect tourist destinations.
In Quintana Roo, the business community has spoken out against violence before, the last time was in November 2021, when an armed group dedicated to selling drugs was shot at on the beach at the Hyatt Ziva hotel in Puerto Morelos. The shooting was provoked by members of a criminal group that disputed the spaces for the sale of drugs in Bahía Petempich.
On that occasion, it was the Association of Hotels and Puerto Morelos who asked the municipal, state and federal authorities for their prompt intervention to reduce the violence.
(djh)
