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Current Affairs

A Sinaloa Cartel Linked Gang Has Attacked Seven Bars in Cancún So Far This Year

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By Samantha Johnson / April 1, 2026

By “El Huaso” for Borderland Beat



At least seven Cancún bars have been attacked by a criminal organization since the beginning of 2026, leaving six dead and eighteen injured. The attacks are most likely being carried out by Los Chinolas Band, a Sinaloa Cartel-linked gang operating in Cancún. The bars are likely being attacked to pressure the owners to pay extortion rents and allow the sale of narcotics and prostitution.

The most recent attack occurred early on Monday morning, when gunmen entered Fushion Sport Bar and opened fire on those inside, killing one and injuring five. This attack matches the modus operandi of most bar attacks in Cancun this year. Gunmen, often arriving on motorbikes, enter after dark and begin shooting without any warning.

Authorities have arrested one woman for being behind a bar attack. On March 14, authorities arrested “La Pastrana,” identified as a presumed Sinaloa Cartel cell leader behind the attack on El Carbonero two days prior. La Pastrana is allegedly an officer of the Los Chinolas Band, a Sinaloa Cartel-linked gang operating in Cancun.

Bars in Cancún are important control points for criminal groups. Often, they are drug sale points, prostitution dens, as well as targets for extortion.

Map of bar attacks:


30 March – Gunmen attacked Fushion Sport Bar around 1:30 a.m., injuring four and killing one.

29 March – Bar Emporio attacked by gunmen on motorbike around 8:00 p.m.. Gunmen fired at the bar fifteen times and torched a vehicle with a molotov cocktail.




13 March – Gunmen entered the bar Like Music Terraza, previously named El Muchacho Alegre, killing the owner and injuring three others, including an off duty police officer acting as the owners bodyguard.

12 March – Gunmen opened fire at bar El Carbonero, killing three and injuring one. El Carbonero previously operated as a strip club called Mansion Venus Nightclub Cancún.



20 February – Gunmen entered Bar Babilonia around midnight, shooting at four people inside. One died.


13 February – Gunmen on motorbike opened fire on “La Palapa de Chocky” or “Las Muñecas De Choky”, injuring five people, two of them servers.

9 January – Gunmen attacked El Águila Real, injuring one server. This was the fourth time the bar has been attacked.

Sources: Quintana Roo, Maya Noticias, Caribe Peninsular, Quintana Roo Hoy, La Verdad Noticias, Sipse,


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