Acapulco: Gun Battles and Public Executions

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

Acapulco has had a swell in violence in the last two days that include: a public execution in front of tourists at a popular beach, multiple gunfights in the middle of the night that can be heard across the city and grim displays of bound dead bodies left in the middle of the street.  

Warning: Some graphic photos beyond this point.

Las Playas Neighborhood

At approximately 4:30 pm on Monday, June 21 2021, a seafood seller was shot to death in front of tourists and other beach vendors at the access to the popular La Angosta beach in Las Playas neighborhood of Sinfonía del Mar, Acapulco. The armed men who shot the vendor had just arrived in the area by vehicle and they fled the area right after the shooting in an unknown direction. 

The vendor, estimated to be about 50 years old, collapsed face down at a landing on the stairway that leads to the beach. Witnesses immediately called 911 emergency services and first responders were dispatched to the area. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they tried to administer first aid but the man no longer showed vital signs. His body was taken to the Forensic Medical Services facilities and he is currently still unidentified. 

Hogar Moderno and Aguas Blancas Neighborhoods

That evening, at 10:58 pm, a social media user uploaded a video recording the sounds of a gun battle taking place in Acapulco. They accompanied the video with the message “Several gunshots were reported in Hogar Moderno as well as in the Glorieta de Aguas Blancas near the Tolerancia area in the west of the port. Take your precautions…” Original Video Link

FOVISSSTE Neighborhood
People passing through the area of Unidad Habitacional Módulo Social, or Social Housing Unit (FOVISSSTE) in western Acapulco city spotted a dead body lying on the pavement and reported the discovery to the emergency services line at approximately 6:00 am on Tuesday, June 22 2021. Personnel from various law enforcement agencies responded to the report and arrived at the location between the streets of Avenida del Maestro and Rinconada del Bajel. They were able to confirm the reported discovery.

At the location they found a man lying face down on the street with his hands and feet bound behind his back with yellow rope. He was estimated to have been around 35 years old. He was wearing blue jeans, a black t-shirt and black tennis shoes. His body showed signs of torture and initial reports indicate he had been beaten to death. In photos it appears that something like a green cloth is stuffed inside his mouth.

Personnel from the State Prosecutor’s Office processed the evidence and the body was transferred to the Forensic Medical Services facilities for autopsy.

Morelos Neighborhood

At 6:58 am on the same morning as the FOVISSSTE discovery,  the emergency services line received a report that there was a shooting in the middle of a street in the Morelos neighborhood of Acapulco. Officers from the State Police were dispatched to check on the reported location on Quetzal street. There they found the dead body of a man behind the Vicente Suárez Sports Unit, close to Vicente Guererro elementary school. 

The  man had been left lying in the middle of the street after the shooting and the perpetrators were unable to be found in the area. The dead man was lying on his left arm, laying to the side, with his hands bound behind his back with yellow rope. He had white hair and was estimated to be between 60 to 65 years of age. He was wearing a red shirt, black jeans and black sandals. He had multiple gunshot wounds to his head. Near the body, three .38 caliber casings were found, further evidence supporting the man was executed at the same location he was found. 

According to Diario Alternativo, the first reports from authorities indicate that the victim was kidnapped and that he was taken to Quetzal street by his captors in order to be executed.  

Some groups thought to be operating in Acapulco include, but are not limited to: Cártel Independiente de Acapulco (CIDA), Los Rusos, Los Viruses, Guardia Guerrerense and Guerreros Unidos. These are just some among many others as the Yucatan Times asserts there are at least 16 different groups operating in Acapulco. 

Some local media has pointed to the two late night shootings occurring in what is believed to be CIDA territory.

Last month, as previously covered on Borderland Beat, five narco banners were hung accusing the current director of the Guerrero State Police of colluding with Los Rusos. 

Acapulco’s Los Rusos is an armed wing of the Beltran Leyva Cartel, not to be confused with the CDS associated cell in Mexicali, Baja California. As covered, Los Rusos is a criminal group reportedly headed by businessman Joaquin Alonso Piedra, alias "El Abulón". Other members of Los Rusos include the brothers Juan Carlos Alberto, Jesús and Antonio Rodríguez Solano.

Las Playas Sources: Quadratin, El Sol de Acapulco Article 1, VO Noticias 

FOVISSSTE Sources: El Sol de Acapulco Article 2, Sur Acapulco, Red Noticias, Sintesis de Guerrero

Morelos Sources: Diario Alternativo, El Sol de Acapulco Article 3, Sur Acapulco, Acapulco City