At least 8 dead in Mexican resort of Acapulco, including 5 in bar shootings

At least eight people were killed in Acapulco, including five men who were shot dead at a bar on Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday.

Prosecutors said a possible suspect had been arrested in the attack. Three of the men died inside the bar and two outside or in a hospital.

Also on Monday, authorities confirmed that three other people were shot dead elsewhere in Acapulco in an unrelated attack.

Acapulco’s reputation has been plagued by a violent crime spree for years. That summer was the leader of the Guild of Restaurants, Bars and Nightclubs in Acapulco shot. At least in April three people were killed in a shootout and subsequent police chase at a beachfront restaurant in Acapulco.

Acapulco is no longer popular with international tourists, but remains a popular getaway for Mexico City residents.

But even that market took a hit over the weekend when there were reports of attempted robberies on cars along the main road connecting the resort to the capital. Officials in the southern state of Guerrero said they had stepped up police patrols following the reports.

One motorist said thieves threw rocks from overpasses or piled tires on the freeway to force cars to stop.

And in neighboring Michoacan state, prosecutors said they found the half-buried bodies of five men near the city of Uruapan.

Local media reported the men were from a local drug rehabilitation center and had been missing for about a month.

Mexico, wracked by a spiral of organized crime-related violence, has recorded more than 340,000 violent deaths since December 2006, when a controversial military anti-drug operation was launched.