Spring break alert: US warns against travel to Mexico

US issues travel alert for Mexico during spring break.

Violence in the country is frightening tourists.

Spring breakers are encouraged to spend their vacations elsewhere.

US issues warning about travel to Mexico during spring break. After four Americans were kidnapped, and two were killed, in Matamoros, Mexico by a group of armed men, the US government has issued a travel alert for spring break.

The State Department issued the warning on Wednesday, March 15 for Americans who plan to spend spring break in Mexico. They ask US citizens to be very careful due to violence in the country.

Spring break: US issues warning about travel to Mexico

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The alert warns travelers to «use extra caution,» especially after dark at Caribbean beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.

The wave of crime in Mexico has frightened US citizens, so much so that the government has issued a warning to its residents for spring break. In recent years, violence has increased with organized crime and regular shootings.

The US warns citizens to be careful

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Previously, Texas had recommended that its citizens avoid vacationing in Mexico. The federal government is also warning citizens to take precautions if they want to travel there.

“US citizens should use extra caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break spots, including Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, especially after dark,” according to the alert, issued Wednesday by the US.

Warnings about drug use

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The State Department also pointed out that US citizens «have become seriously ill or have died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills,» according to The Associated Press.

That warning followed reports that some pharmacies in Mexico are freely offering sedatives and other drugs that can only be sold by prescription in the United States. Mexican pills are often counterfeit and contain the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

“Unregulated alcohol can be contaminated”

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Tourists often enjoy drinking on spring break so the alert also noted that «unregulated alcohol may be contaminated, and U.S. citizens reported losing consciousness or being injured after consuming alcohol that was possibly contaminated.»

The excessive consumption of alcohol can also cause accidents on the roads. However, the greatest danger to Americans is organized crime.