Mexico to deploy troops to Riviera Maya in wake of shootings

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will deploy a battalion of National Guard troops to its Mayan Riviera in the wake of a spate of shootings that have put the crown jewel of the country’s tourism industry on edge. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, speaking Wednesday in Cancun, said that 1,445 guard members will be sent to Quintana Roo state’s Caribbean coast to reinforce the region’s security. The deployment will include the establishment of a base in the beach town of Tulum, where two foreign tourists were killed and three wounded Oct. 20 in the crossfire between drug dealers. The additional security will begin operations by Dec. 1.