Canadian threatened before dying under mysterious circumstances in Zipolite, Mexico

William (Bill) Halliday, a 49-year-old Canadian from Toronto, died around one o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday, March 10, 2018 in a hospital in San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca. According to a Canadian friend, Bill had come to the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca, specifically the beach at Zipolite, after the breakup of a multi-year relationship.

The beach at Zipolite, Oaxaca

The circumstances surrounding Bill’s death are disturbing, particularly in the context of his final text messages. The last communication to his friend, shortly before his death, was:  I fucked up badly I should not have done what I did they are xom Coming to get me I am afraid (sic).

This was sent at 11:24 am on Saturday – just before he was found in distress by the side of the road near Playa del Amor and transported to the hospital, where he died.

Priceless 18th century jewels found in Caribbean off Mexico

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has announced in a statement that a team of underwater archaeologists exploring in the Caribbean found a priceless shipment of jewels from the 18th century. The discovery is being given top billing at the recently inaugurated Museum of Underwater Archaeology, located in Campeche.

It’s believed that the jewels, likely intended for sale to affluent Spaniards, were lost when a ship went down in the strong currents that converge off the Yucatán coast. This is the first time that professional underwater archaeologists have discovered artifacts of this sort in Mexico.

Reports of human rights abuses in Sinaloa as Black Hawk helicopters hunt for Rafael Caro Quintero

The Mexican government is on the hunt for the notorious drug kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero.  Dozens of elite members of Mexico’s armed forces have laid siege to a large area deep in the sierras, surrounding the Sinaloan villages of La Noria, Las Juntas, Babunica and Bamopa, with locals complaining of systematic human rights abuses.

Rafael Caro, 65, has been on the run for five years, and is something of a legend in Sinaloa. Back in the 1970s he controlled the now-defunct Guadalajara Cartel, but ran afoul of US authorities for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique (“Kiki”) Camarena Salazar. Then in 2013, a state court in Jalisco released Caro on a technicality – possibly as a result of a corrupt process – thus enraging the US government. He is now wanted in both the US and Mexico.