Spring Break has ‘never been so dangerous’ as students face massacre from warring cartels

Spring Break has ‘never been so dangerous’ with partying students facing a massacre from warring cartels, an expert has warned.

The chilling warning comes as hundreds of thousands of university and college attendees in the US descend on resorts close to the US/Mexico border for their holidays. Robert Almonte, a former US federal marshal who spent 25 years in El Paso's Police Department, says the violence is escalating in the region.

He told Daily Star that the temptation for youngsters to cross the border should be resisted as they're putting their lives in danger. The attraction to travel south of the border, he adds, lies in the more relaxed laws, the ability to pick up illicit substances, and the lower drinking age.

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However, Almonte says that in doing so they are putting themselves in harm's way as cartels battle it out in cities close to the border.

Almonte said the problem stretches the length of the divide as a whole host of gangs vie for control of the crossing.

He says that pretty much every criminal organisation in the country wants a piece of the tourist action, and the fallout in turf wars can be deadly.

"It is escalating," he said. "For years I've been recommending that Spring Breakers, and even tourists, don't go to Mexico resorts. Not that they'll be targeted, although they sometimes are.

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"My concern is they're having their lunch at a beach or a café and a cartel target is sitting next to them.

"The shooter will walk in and spray bullets, and they're not very careful about not shooting innocent people. They don't care, they spray bullets and they run."

He added: "If something happens to you over there, if you get seriously injured or if you're killed, nothing's going to happen to the assailants.

"They're not going to get caught, you will receive no justice.

"They're not going to investigate the cases like they would investigate them in the US or the UK. The reason for that is because the cartels are in control of basically everything that happens in Mexico.

"That's the problem with Mexico, the corruption, and unfortunately corruption is embedded in the fibre of the fabric of the country, and that's just the way it is."

He said that despite any warnings, Spring Breakers and tourists will still travel to the country, so he likes to provide them with tips on how to stay safe.

Firstly he recommended people don't use taxis or Ubers to get anywhere unless they are booked via a reputable hotel.

"It's a little more expensive but very well worth it," he said.

Secondly, he advised that people go to all-inclusive resorts with a good reputation where they have all the facilities to hand and have no requirement to leave the site.

He added that a lot of criminal activity takes place around resorts and travellers may unwittingly use venues which are backed by cartel money.

"Some of them have investments there, and then some of the restaurants and nightclubs in the surrounding area of the resort are owned by the cartel," he said

"If you've got the cartel owning property, then more likely you're gonna have cartel members hanging out there."

He added: "You should stay at the resort. Everything you need is at the resort. All the food, all the drink.

"They even have entertainment there. You have the beach there, so you don't need to wander off and go to other locations.

"That's when bad things can happen, and unfortunately they do."