Thousands of Spring Breakers ignore warning to avoid Mexico after kidnappings

14 March 2023 , 22:57

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Spring breakers in Cancun despite the warnings from the US government to try and stay away (Image: Getty Images)

Thousands of Spring Breakers have ignored warnings to avoid Mexico and headed to the beach - despite fears of cartel drug violence.

Beaches across Cancun in Mexico were full of students drinking and swimming in the sea with celebrations continuing in nearby restaurants and bars.

Students also headed to music festivals taking place by the sea as thousands let their hair down after a much needed break.

However, this is despite the US government putting almost every state in Mexico under a travel risk with some even labelled as "do not travel" or "reconsider travel."

There are still some who have made the trip to Quitana Roo where travellers are asked to "exercise increased caution."

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Soldiers patrolling a beach in Cancun, Mexico where a number of music festivals are taking place (Alonso Cupul/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

However, a large majority have decided to exercise the government's caution of travelling to Mexico and decided to follow the government's advice and instead stay in Florida.

According to airport officials, there is set to be a record number of holidaymakers in the sunny state with 550 flights carrying around 100,000 passengers each day.

It comes after Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw advised against people travelling to Mexico after a group of Americans were kidnapped by a drug cartel and left two people dead.

He said: "Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now."

"We have a duty to inform the public about safety, travel risks and threats. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time."

Travellers are asked to "exercise increased caution" during their Spring Break (Getty Images)

Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodward, Eric James and Zindell Brown were kidnapped on March 3 after driving from South Carolina to Mexico to help support their friend was undergoing a tummy tuck.

The four were traveling Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates when they came under fire shortly after entering the city of Matamoros from Brownsville, at the southernmost tip of Texas near the Gulf coast.

CCTV footage captured the moment being loaded into a pickup truck in the northeast Mexico city of Matamoros.

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After a huge police hunt to find the "Gulf Cartel" they were found on March 7 - around six miles from where the group were kidnapped.

Ms McGee and Mr James were rescued last Tuesday but the dead bodies of Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, two of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico, were found.

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Arely Servando, a Mexican national, was shot dead after she was struck by a stray bullet during the kidnaping.

The DEA has since identified José 'El Contador' Cárdenas as the leader of the Gulf Cartel, which has been around since 1930 and is based out of Tamaulipas.

Mexican authorities have confirmed Mr Cárdenas was taken into custody on February 27, 2022 in Mexico City and is set to be extradited to the US.

Liam Buckler