Cornwall Man Chris Cleave Killed In Mexico Was 'Threatened' By 'Drug Cartel'

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Local reports state that a man thought to be Mr Cleave was threatened earlier this month along with two other men in a so-called narcomanta, a message left by a local drug cartel on a cloth banner

Chris Cleave reportedly received a threat days before his death

A Cornwall man who was killed in Mexico reportedly received a threatening message believed to be from drug dealers.

Chris Cleave, who had moved to Mexico more than 10 years ago, was tragically shot dead in the street while driving with his 14-year-old daughter on Saturday morning (March 12).

The popular 54-year-old businessman was working as a real estate agent in Cancun. He had previously had lived in Truro.

The DailyMail reported that Mr Cleave was targeted by two men on a motorcycle while driving through Playa del Carmen, in a red Audi.

Now, local reports state that a man thought to be Mr Cleave was threatened along with two other men in a so-called narcomanta, a message left by a local drug cartel on a cloth banner, in an upmarket beach area of Playa del Carmen called Playacar.

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The message, written in Spanish and removed by the police soon after it appeared, said: “This is for you Filipp and Jack from Playacar, with Range Rover and Porsche cars and the secret partners of Bistro, Playacar.

“We are coming for you and the sale of your s##t. Also for you Cris, with the red Audi.”

It was signed by Commander Cobra.

Chris Cleave was shot dead in Mexico

Unconfirmed local reports at the time said the mystery men behind the intimidating message wanted to sell their drugs there.

Local prosecutors confirmed two arrests had been made over the killing. Bistro Playacar is a restaurant. There is no suggestion at this stage any illegal activity takes place at the premises.

A spokesman for Quintana Roo’s State Prosecution Service said: “We can confirm the arrest of two men who probably participated in the incident that took place on Saturday morning in which a foreigner living in the area lost his life. The weapon that was used has been recovered.”

Mr Cleave is believed to have been followed as he left his home before being assassinated as he stopped in traffic. The men arrested on suspicion of Mr Cleave’s murder were pictured for the first time yesterday, as they were identified as an 18-year-old and a 30-year-old.

The teenager has been named only by his first name and the initial of his surname as Lenin N and the older man as Jose N. Police said one of the alleged killers had tried to flee on foot after getting off the motorbike during a police chase and hiding in undergrowth. The gun believed to have been used to shoot Mr Cleave was recovered nearby.

The other man was stopped on the motorbike shortly afterwards.

Two local men, one aged 18 and named by police only as Lenin N, and the other aged 30 and named as Jose N, have been arrested for the alleged murder of Cornwall dad Chris Cleave in Mexico

Last month two men were shot dead and a third injured at a popular tourist restaurant in the area. A group of gunmen opened fire in an attack at Art Beach restaurant at the entrance to the hotel zone in the Mayan Riviera resort of Tulum a 50-minute drive south of Playa del Carmen, where the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore and Sting have holidayed.

Survivors dining at the upmarket eatery, which mixes food with live music, reported hearing at least 20 gunshots.

The incident occurred less than a month after two Canadians were gunned down and a third was wounded in a hotel in Playa del Carmen south of Cancun on the same coastline.

The victims of the January 21 shooting at the luxury Hotel Xcaret in Playa del Carmen were part of a group of 10 tourists who had traveled to Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula to spend their vacations at the five-star establishment.

Local prosecutors later identified the two 34-year-old men killed as convicted criminals in Canada and said they believed debts arising from the criminal activities they were involved in were likely to have been behind the attack on them. They have been named as Robert James Dinh and Thomas Cheruka.

Two people, including a Mexican hitman initially hired to kill the victims, have been arrested.

Cornwall Live