Violent Crime Causes Travel Warning for Oaxaca Mexico

A Canadian man – Víctor Masson, 27 – was shot to death in Mexico’s Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido on Monday.

The Canadian tourist was found shot dead in a car with a bullet wound, and he was the second international tourist killed in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca in the past 5 days.

Three days prior to this, a tourist from Argentina – Benjamin Gamond – was attacked with a machete at another Oaxaca coastal down. He was taken to a hospital in Mexico City where he died from his injuries. Gamond was with 2 other travel companions at the time of the attack. Their injuries were non-life-threatening.

So far, prosecutors do not have any motives for the slayings.

Exercise increased caution when traveling to Oaxaca.

Due to the current situation in Mexico, it is being reported that the the US State Department has issued a travel advisory for Americans to Oaxaca, Mexico.

However, when checking the US State Department website, the latest travel advisory in place is dated October 5, 2022. It reads:

Country Summary: Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico. The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities.

US citizens are advised to adhere to restrictions on US government employee travel. State-specific restrictions are included in the individual state advisories below. US government employees may not travel between cities after dark, may not hail taxis on the street, and must rely on dispatched vehicles, including app-based services like Uber, and regulated taxi stands. U. government employees should avoid traveling alone, especially in remote areas. US government employees may not drive from the US Mexico border to or from the interior parts of Mexico, except daytime travel within Baja California and between Nogales and Hermosillo on Mexican Federal Highway 15D, and between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey on Highway 85D.

This has been an ongoing problem in Mexico. Earlier this year, an American tourist was shot in the leg in Puerto Morelos outside Cancun by unknown assailants in March. This person survived. Then, a Mexican tourist was shot to death in Tulum, a coastal resort in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This tragedy took place during a robbery at a US chain coffee shop in April 2023.