Feed: Bloody Acapulco: Mexican resort city rife with crime and violence - AggScore: 13.0

Bloody Acapulco: Mexican resort city rife with crime and violence

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caption id alignalignleft width210 captionGrisly crime scene in Acapulco. Photo AllVoices img srchttpcdn2b.examiner.comsitesdefaultfilesstyleslargehash78f678f6bfd69b57249bbbc7acda929869f5.jpg alt width210 height166 captionSaturdays murders of 20 men inMexicos famed resort city, Acapulco,are takingtheir toll on the countrys economy withmost foreignvisitors fleeing the once peacefulvacation playground.And its not only Americans and Canadians forgoing their Acapulco vacations, but nowevenMexicans who usuallyfrequent theresort are changing their plans.The latest bloodbath last Saturday involved the bodies offifteenmenwhowerediscovered outside a shopping mall, with 14 of them decapitated. Another six victimswere found deadinside a cab nearby, according to a police source.Handwrittentags or signs were discoveredat the crimescenesuggesting thatthe killings were part of theongoinggang war involving theLos Zetas, La Familia and the Sinaloa cartel. The three organized crime gangs implicated inthe Acapulco violenceare vying forcontrol of Mexicos illegal drug trade.Some of thesigns postedon shopping center walls allegedlybore the signature ofEl Chapo Guzman, who is the MexicanGodfather of theSinaloa cartel. He is referred to as Public Enemy Number One by Mexican law enforcement and military forces.Just recently, the Mexican government released its latest figures onhomicides connected tothe drug war that began in December 2006.At least 30,196 peoplehave been murderedsince Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered troops to crack down on the drug cartels. Those murderedincluded government officials, police commanders and officers, military personnel, and others whowere deemed a threat to the cartels business interests or leaders. Of those 30,000plus killed, a record 12,456were mortally woundedbetween January and November of 2010.The struggling Mexican economy has long relied on tourismto garner a major portion of that countrys wealth.Acapulco, dubbed byMexicos bureau oftourism asthe Pearl of the Pacific, has experienced a 50 percent reduction in visitors within the past year, claim law enforcement officials.Some tourists still visit the city, especially from Mexico City, but travel agents say they expect the number of Mexican visitors to fall as the violence increases. Even those brave enough to vacation in Acapulco stay close to the hotels and avoid venturing out on their own.Saturdays Acapulcokillings come only a fewweeksfollowing the shocking discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of18people from the nearby MichoacanThe victims are believed to have been touring Acapulco by bus while on vacation when they were kidnapped by cartel members andmurdered in coldblood, according to a law enforcement advisor who has worked as a police instructor in Mexico.