Last year, three foreigners were among 5 people gunned down at the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa del Carmen. | Battles have erupted between competing cartels over the valuable poppy-producing territories in the region. Local business owners are also being extorted by the drug cartels, who threaten and often met out violence to anyone who refuses to pay.
Those involved in the tourism industry in particular have become targets, and tourists themselves are not immune to the violence.
| Authorities appear powerless to stop the bloodshed. |