Tourist killings expose fragmentation of organised crime at the heart of Mexico’s extraordinary violence

The Killings of Australian and American Tourists in Mexico Highlight Country’s Violence

The killings of the Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, have highlighted the shifting and uncertain fault lines of risk in Mexico, which is simultaneously a major tourism destination and a country with hotspots of extraordinary violence.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The trio, who in April went missing in the Pacific coast state of Baja California while on a surfing trip, were later found dead, each killed by a gunshot to the head. Mexican authorities believe that they were attacked by people who wanted to steal their car tyres and were killed upon resisting.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The man accused of the killings, Jesús Gerardo known as “El Kekas”, is currently in custody, with murder charges expected to be filed. His girlfriend, who was also taken into custody, has reportedly turned witness against him, telling a court he said to her “I killed them”, gave her a mobile phone and showed her the allegedly stolen tyres on her car.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The murders are part of the violence that grips Mexico, which in 2023 saw more than 30,000 homicides for the sixth consecutive year. More than 100,000 people are also missing.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

But beneath the national-level statistics, violence is hyper-concentrated in certain states.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

“Baja California is one of them – but even there the bulk of homicides occur in Tijuana, and mostly in the poor areas,” said Falko Ernst, Mexico analyst for the nonprofit Crisis Group.

The violence in Baja California reflects the sheer volume of criminal business in the state, but also the instability of the criminal system itself.

Tijuana is the biggest border city in Mexico, which means huge flows of people, goods and cash going to and from the US every day. That makes Tijuana itself a prize to control, with a big local drug market and opportunities for money laundering.

Organised crime groups also have an interest in other parts of the state, for example the port in Ensenada – the nearest city to where the tourists’ bodies were found – which brings in drugs and chemical precursors for synthetics such as fentanyl and crystal meth.

Many groups are fighting to control these territories and businesses across Baja California.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

This has been made more deadly by the torrent of US-made firearms trafficked over the border to Mexico. “Over the last couple of decades, guns have proliferated,” said Victoria Dittmar, a researcher for Insight Crime. “Now, anyone who wants a pistol can get one easily.”

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Despite the violence, many tourists are drawn to Baja California for the beaches, waves and wildlife along a peninsula that stretches down to the resort towns of Los Cabos, on the southernmost tip of the state of Baja California Sur.

Given the number of visitors, it is striking how rare it is for tourists to be targeted. This is in part because organised crime groups also make money from the tourism industry – for example by extorting hotels, restaurants and nightclubs – and therefore rely on the continued flow of tourists.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

1. Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
2. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

“The fish you eat at that fancy restaurant may be subject to a kind of criminal taxation,” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, a researcher at the University of California at San Diego. “There could be a whole structure of criminal governance of which the tourist is unaware.”

However, crime in Mexico is far from perfectly organised. There are independent actors and local cells making decisions on the ground and in the moment.

“We’re also talking about a world that is hyper-paranoid,” said Ernst. “If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and somebody panics and thinks that there might be a risk for them, mistakes can be made.”

The speed of the investigation that followed the disappearance of the three surfers in Baja California reflects local authorities’ desire to relieve the external pressure and reassure tourists that they are safe in the state. Within days of the tourists being reported missing, three suspects were detained and the bodies were found at the bottom of a well on remote ranch land.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Emphasized:

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article:

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content:

• SDG 16.1: Reduce violence everywhere
• SDG 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces
• SDG 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article:

• Homicide rates
• Number of missing persons
• Percentage of homicides that go unpunished
• Number of people involved in organized crime groups
• Number of firearms trafficked over the border
• Percentage of tourists targeted by crime

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Explanation:

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice, and strong institutions, is directly relevant due to the discussion of violence, homicides, missing persons, and organized crime groups in Mexico. SDG 11, which aims for sustainable cities and communities, is connected to the article’s content through the mention of safe and inclusive public spaces and the availability of green spaces. SDG 8, which focuses on decent work and economic growth, is relevant due to the mention of forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labor.

Based on the article’s content, specific targets can be identified. Under SDG 16, Target 16.1 is relevant, which aims to reduce violence everywhere. Under SDG 11, Target 11.7 is relevant, which focuses on providing universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces. Under SDG 8, Target 8.7 is relevant, which aims to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and eliminate the worst forms of child labor.

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include homicide rates, the number of missing persons, the percentage of homicides that go unpunished, the number of people involved in organized crime groups, the number of firearms trafficked over the border, and the percentage of tourists targeted by crime.

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Fuente: theguardian.com

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