An expert says that Americans who want to get away from the harsh winter should stay alert because there are more safety warnings because of a rise in murders in Mexico.
Michael Brown, who used to be a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and is now the global head of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices, told Fox News Digital that Americans should be very careful when they go to Mexico.
“If you leave the resort, you’re definitely at high risk, especially if you’re an American female,” said he. “You could be kidnapped or sold into the sex trade. It is very dangerous to be in Mexico outside of the vacation.
“Even in the resorts, the cartels have people scouting out,” he told us. “Oh, look at this rich couple! Let’s kidnap them! Or look at these pretty girls by themselves!” Let’s get them on a Saturday night.”
“You can’t forget about that,” he said. “They [the cartels] have people out there watching to see what is going on and scouting potential targets.”
The U.S. State Department says that 115 U.S. citizens died in Mexico between January 2022 and June 2022, with 25 of those deaths being killed.
During that time, most of the deaths were caused by car accidents, but 25 deaths were also caused by accidents that were not mentioned.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital that the department was “refining” their reporting and could not quickly give a more up-to-date number on how many U.S. citizens died in Mexico in 2024.
Brown said that it’s still a good idea to follow safety rules, even though the number of tourists who become victims of violent crime in Mexico is very small compared to the number who have a safe trip.
“But if it’s your child that dies, it’s a big deal,” he said. “So I don’t think we can allow the low percentages to be our moral guidance as to is it is a crisis or is it not a crisis.”
The warning from the former DEA agent came after this week’s full advice from the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico. People in the United States are being warned to be extra careful while traveling for spring break.
“Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico,” the US Embassy said.
At a famous beach resort in the municipality of Tulum, Mexico, an American woman was killed during what looked like a bad drug deal.
The victim was Niko Honarbakhsh, 44, from Los Angeles. She died from a stray bullet, according to the police.
In recent years, other tourists have died in Tulum because of gun violence between gangs. In 2021, a California travel blogger and a German were killed while eating in a restaurant when rival drug sellers started shooting at each other.
Police say that the bodies of two Americans from California who were shot to death in a pickup truck in Mexico have been found.
Fox 11 Los Angeles cites the state attorney general’s office as saying that Gloria Ambriz, 50, and Rafael Cardona, 53, were found when police responded to a report of a killing in Angamacutiro in the western state of Michoacán in December.
