Drugs Are Poisoning the Water in This Mexican Vacation Destination

Tulum, Mexico — VICE arrives in this natural paradise formed over thousands of years of geological change, creating otherworldly rock pools and ancient, interconnected cave formations. But we’re not the only ones — tourism is flourishing here, with a new generation of “eco-travellers” and influencers, eager to share their holiday amongst the hidden rainforest cenotes to the rest of the world, bringing gangsters from nearby Cancun with them. Now a newer problem has been detected - cocaine traces found in these ancient rockpools hints at the interconnectivity of the water system here, the same one that connects the untreated sewage from the newly built eco-resorts where the tourists stay, and the rockpools they’ve travelled so far to enjoy. Ironically, this influx of tourists is destroying the natural beauty and ecosystem that attracted them here in the first place, leaving them swimming in their own excrement. Subscribe to VICE News here: Check out VICE News for more: