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A 31-year-old Cuban identified as Rey was injured by two gunshots this Wednesday in the community of Santa María Moyotzingo, in the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan, Puebla, after attending an appointment to buy a vehicle advertised on social media.
According to Diario Cambio, upon arriving at the meeting point, Rey noticed the presence of armed individuals and attempted to flee, but was hit by at least two shots before he could get away from the scene.
Wounded, the Cuban managed to drive his vehicle until he found municipal police officers from San Martín Texmelucan, to whom he requested assistance.
Paramedics from Civil Protection transported him to the Comprehensive Hospital of the municipality, but the severity of his injuries necessitated his transfer to the Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital in the city of Puebla. His health status was unknown at the time this report was concluded.
The modus operandi follows a documented pattern in Mexico, with criminals posting vehicles on social media at attractive prices, luring buyers to remote areas, and then ambushing them. In 2025, the Citizen Security Secretary of Mexico City arrested 40 individuals for extortion in car sales via social media, with victims being beaten or shot.
According to data from the Federal Consumer Protection Agency, the risk of fraud in informal transactions of used vehicles ranges from 40% to 70%, and 80% of those sales take place outside formal channels, including social media.
The authorities in San Martín Texmelucan have a free police support program for this type of buying and selling, as well as offices from the Automotive Tracking Control Office to verify the documentation of vehicles. However, according to the report, "very few people request it."
The Moyotzingo area has a concerning history of insecurity. In January 2026, a 25-year-old man was shot dead with more than 10 bullets in those same streets, and in 2025, the gang "Los Cachimberos de Moyotzingo," dedicated to drug dealing, was dismantled.
The case adds to a series of attacks against Cubans in the state of Puebla and the Tlaxcala region. In October 2024, the Cuban Yordis Nariño Delgado was shot dead in Tlaxcala and his assailants fled specifically to San Martín Texmelucan, highlighting the criminal link between the two areas.
In April 2026, an operation in the State of Mexico dismantled an extortion network with over 100 arrests, among them two Cubans, in a case that illustrates how migrants from the island are both victims and, at times, part of criminal structures operating in the country.
The Puebla-Tlaxcala region is a migration corridor frequently traversed by Cubans traveling north through Mexico toward the United States, which particularly exposes them to criminal networks that target them as vulnerable victims. In March 2026, four Cuban migrants were tortured and burned alive in a hotel in Apizaco, Tlaxcala, in one of the most brutal episodes recorded against compatriots in that area.
The health status of Rey remains unconfirmed, and the authorities in Puebla have not reported any arrests related to the attack.
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