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Police say five masked and armed men broke into a bungalow and raped six Spanish tourists.

By Hugo Martin | LA Times
February 6, 2013, 2:03 p.m.

Despite past assurances that tourists are safe in their country, Mexican tourism officials are again faced with trying to explain away another report of crime against foreign visitors.

The latest incident took place in the resort town of Acapulco, where six Spanish tourists on vacation were raped Sunday by masked gunmen.

Unlike many crimes involving drug violence in the country's interior states, the rapes took place near the beach, where the tourists were renting bungalows near four-star hotels.

Mexico's secretary of tourism issued a statement expressing sympathy for the tourists and said local authorities would investigate the crime.

Crime tied to drug violence has reduced the number of tourists from the U.S. to Mexico in recent years but Mexican tourism officials have responded by targeting travelers from countries such as Russia, Brazil, Peru and Colombia.

Despite the violence, Mexico predicts it will host 24.7 million foreign visitors in 2012, surpassing last year's record of 23.4 million.

But the latest crime report will only make it harder for Mexico to shrug off the incidents of crime in tourist towns as isolated and rare, experts say.

"It doesn't matter if Mexico is safe or not because the perception is they are not," said Carl Winston, director of the school of hospitality and tourism at San Diego State University.

But some travel agents say they have not seen a drop off in tourists from the U.S. booking trips to Mexico.

Coastline Travel Advisors in Garden Grove is in the process of booking a group of 30 people to visit Loreto in Baja California.

"We haven't had anyone afraid to visit Mexico or ask if it is safe," said Kate Malczynski, a spokeswoman for the company. "Our agents know what is best and what areas are safe."

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Latest reports say these Spanish tourists knew the rapists because they bought drugs from them a few days earlier. They didn't rape the one Mexican tourist because she pleaded with them that she was Mexican. It wasn't a hotel but a private beach home they had rented. Letting drug dealers know where you are staying is Stupid Stupid Stupid.

The neighbors weren't much help and were afraid to call the police: AP REPORT "The manager of a small hotel near the house said he heard shouting during the attack just after midnight Monday, but did nothing because he felt it would be too dangerous. The man did want to give his name for safety reasons."

Just another blow to Acapulco tourism. They need to bring in a Leyzaola...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Just another blow to Acapulco tourism. They need to bring in a Leyzaola...

One would think the cruise ship industry basically leaving Mexican ports of call behind would have been a wake up call.

The Mexico nightly news channels are devoting a lot of air time to the rape case and most of them are also running stories on the rise of vigilante justice in the country. The slant on most of the stories I have seen so far is in general support of the vigilante groups and both Adela and Juaquin Lopez Doriga gave them almost 10 minutes of prime time coverage last night.

Even the Wall Street journal is covering it...

Mexico's Masked Vigilantes Defy Drug Gangs—And the Law

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

The Mexico nightly news channels are devoting a lot of air time to the rape case and most of them are also running stories on the rise of vigilante justice in the country. The slant on most of the stories I have seen so far is in general support of the vigilante groups and both Adela and Juaquin Lopez Doriga gave them almost 10 minutes of prime time coverage last night.

Even the Wall Street journal is covering it...

Mexico's Masked Vigilantes Defy Drug Gangs—And the Law

That's how revolutions begin.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

That's how revolutions begin.

That is one thing that many gringos seem to forget - the idea of a revolution is really not that scary of a concept to most Mexicans. The general attitude I hear is that if it comes, bienvenido! And that may very well be what is now brewing under the surface.

One thing that you will see from these news reports is that they dispel the myth that Mexico is a country with a population unarmed.

My personal experience has shown me that the grand majority of Mexicans living outside the cities are armed. The difference is that they don't show off their guns and rifles in fancy display cases in their living rooms or in racks in the back window of their trucks.

I know because I have had many, many, many of my good friends in our area bring "extra" guns they owned to my front door, offering them to me to keep for our home defense. Everything from 22 to 30-06 rifles to an uzi.

Yes, an UZI!

I didn't take that one but I did go with my friend to the canyon behind the house and ran off 50 rounds. Was that a blast!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

That is one thing that many gringos seem to forget - the idea of a revolution is really not that scary of a concept to most Mexicans. The general attitude I hear is that if it comes, bienvenido! And that may very well be what is now brewing under the surface.

There may be another reason accessible to the educated, that the 1910 revolution is still a work in progress, so getting into another one while the old one still lingers on is hard to impossible to do.

Originally Posted by DENNIS

There may be another reason accessible to the educated, that the 1910 revolution is still a work in progress, so getting into another one while the old one still lingers on is hard to impossible to do.

But, this is Mexico after all amigo...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

But, this is Mexico after all amigo...

The Mexican people could do no worse at providing security than their leaders. Vigilante groups can protect the more vulnerable rural communities at least. In some areas, the police have already been run off. I can def see how Mexicans could feel disenfranchised with the status quo. Drugs and Money control what they see out their window more than Elections and Laws.

Imho- Mexico has two options: fix the institutionalized corruption that permeates all levels of Mexican authority and politics; or legalize all the drugs and allow Mexico to be a bonafide drug-highway. I'm thinking the latter is more doable.

02/10/13 – During the early hours of Monday, February 4, 14 tourists who were vacationing in the seaside city of Acapulco, Guerrero, were awoken by an unidentified number of masked [...]

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5 arrested in alleged Mexico tourist rapes

Published: Feb. 11, 2013 at 11:07 AM

ACAPULCO, Mexico, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Five suspects were arrested in the alleged rapes of six Spanish tourists in Acapulco, Mexico, Guerrero state Gov. Angel Aguirre Rivero said.

Rivero did not release information about the suspects or where they were held, rompting demonstrations by family members concerned about the men's whereabouts, CNN reported.

The six women were among 14 people victimized by hooded gunmen who broke into a vacation bungalow in the resort town in Guerrero state Feb. 4, police said.

The attackers also stole cell phones, iPads and tennis shoes from the victims, investigators said.

Investigators said they think the victims bought drugs from at least one of the suspects a couple of days before the break-in and that they knew the men, lead investigator Marcos Juarez said last week.

The Spanish tourists, said to be in their 20s and 30s, were under the protection of authorities in Mexico City, CNN said.

A seventh woman, a Mexican, was spared because of her nationality, Guerrero state Attorney General Martha Garzon said last week.

The gunmen's motive was robbery and "to have some fun," Garzon said.

Officials said the suspects don't appear to be part of a gang.