Street-level drug dealing behind Mexico resort killings

MEXICO CITY – Mexican authorities say that street-level drug dealing was probably the motive behind the killing of seven men in the Caribbean coast resort city of Playa del Carmen.

The prosecutors’ office in the state of Quintana Roo says two gunmen carried out the attack, apparently with .38 calibre pistols.

The office said late Monday that “the main line of investigation is related to a dispute between drug dealers.”

Five victims have been identified, at least three from other states.

Earlier Monday, police said they found a bag of marijuana in a garbage can at the bar where the shootings occurred Sunday in a low-income section relatively far from the beachside tourist resort zone.

The once-quiet mainland town near the island of Cozumel has seen explosive growth and rising levels of violence.