Mexico’s surging narco violence is intensifying at the edges of one of its biggest tourist hotspots

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

• High-profile incidents in Playa del Carmen in recent weeks have prompted new travel warnings from the US government.
• The incidents come amid spiraling violence on the peripheries of one of Mexico’s most popular tourist areas.
• Criminal groups in the area thrive on tourist traffic — and corruption, weak institutions, and social conditions have facilitated their activity.

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The calm in Playa del Carmen was shattered on February 21, when a blast erupted from the side of a ferry, injuring more than 20 people.

That was followed by the March 2 discovery of explosives on a ferry off the island of Cozumel, another tourist hub in the state of Quintana Roo.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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