Shocked holidaymakers watch on in horror as El Chapo’s rival crime gang ABDUCT 16 people from restaurant in popular Mexican tourist resort

RIVAL gangsters have abducted up to 16 members of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa gang in a daring raid at one of Mexico's most popular tourist resorts.

The eight gunmen swooped on the cartel members while the group was partying at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Jaisco at around 1am Monday.

Kidnappers have yet to make any contact with authorities and it was not clear if they intended to murder the group or hold them hostage for ransom.

Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer said the men who were abducted were believed to be members of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most feared drug smuggling gangs, which was led by El Chapo until his capture in January.

He said the suspected gang members were accompanied by nine women who were left behind, adding that the kidnappers had yet to make any contact with authorities.

Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, is one of Mexico's top vacation destinations, luring all-inclusive tourists and high-end sunseekers to its beaches.

Jalisco, which lies south along the Pacific coast from Sinaloa, is also home to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which has become one of the country's most powerful drug gangs in recent years.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said it was investigating the incident, while Almaguer said he was trying to fully identify the men who were abducted.

Local, state and federal authorities, including marines and soldiers, have launched a search operation while investigators review surveillance camera footage for clues.

Meanwhile, the city's tourism promoters scrambled to reassure tourists that it was an isolated incident and that activities for visitors continued without interruption.

Both the kidnappers and those kidnapped were members of criminal organizations, Almaguer said at a news conference called to discuss the incident in the resort's main hotel zone.

"They were not tourists or residents who work in legal activities," Almaguer said. "They were people tied to a criminal group we can very clearly presume."

The Jalisco New Generation cartel has become the dominant criminal force in the state. It has battled the powerful Sinaloa cartel for supremacy in other parts of the country, such as Baja California Sur.
However, authorities have not yet confirmed members of the group were responsible for the raid.

Almaguer said two SUVs carrying five gunmen arrived around 1 a.m. at La Leche restaurant on Puerto Vallarta's main boulevard, which runs through the hotel zone lying between the old beach city and the airport.

He said some of those abducted had been vacationing in Puerto Vallarta for a week and the group that was targeted appeared to be celebrating according to other people in the restaurant.

Authorities found lots of drinks and luxury items inside the restaurant. Five vehicles were abandoned at the restaurant, among them one with Jalisco license plates, but a false registration.

"Obviously, those who acted (the kidnappers) we presume with the information we have also belonged to a criminal group that acted against members of another criminal group they located here in Puerto Vallarta," Almaguer said.

Alejandro Hope, a Mexico City-based security analyst, said that without knowing who was taken, it was impossible to say what the fallout might be.

He recalled some violence last year in Puerto Vallarta but said the city had been quiet recently.

He added that while Jalisco New Generation controls the area, it would be possible for another group to enter the city.

Hope also called it odd that a group of alleged cartel members would be taken without a shot being fired.

"It's a bit surprising that in effect they were drug traffickers but didn't have any security," Hope said.

Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval said on his official Twitter account that such violence would not be tolerated.

"To the residents and tourists of Puerto Vallarta, I inform you that we have reinforced security so that you can go on as usual," Sandoval wrote.

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