A group of cartel gunmen murdered two federal policemen and two bystanders in the beach tourist hotspot of Puerto de Manzanillo, Colima. The bodies of the officers were left slumped on their lawn chairs.

The attack took place in an area near Playa La Audiencia where two agents of the Federal Police Gendarmerie were lodging. The agents were originally dispatched to Colima for the “Escudo Titan” operation. The effort aims to reduce violence and organized crime disputes typically involving the Jalisco Cartel Nueva Generación (CJNG).

The violence landed Colima on a travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of the State–considering the area high-risk with advised avoidance.

At the time of the murder, the two police officers were off-duty and apparently enjoying a few beers when a team of cartel hitmen caught them by surprise. Two hotel employees were also killed. The gunmen managed to escape.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the State Department labeled Colima as having a risk level 4–its highest ranking category. U.S. employees are prohibited from visiting the state, however, the consular notice did not include the tourist zone area known as the Port of Manzanillo, where the policemen were shot.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Tony Aranda de Nuevo León.