Surfers murdered in Mexico among more than 430,000 killed since 2006

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It's a holiday mecca for thrillseekers searching for an off-the-grid adventure or the perfect ocean wave.

But while the Mexican state of Baja California draws an estimated 30 million visitors a year to its surf, sand and seafood, the murder of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson has renewed the spotlight on violent crime in a region plagued for decades by drug cartels and the failure of governments to crack down on them.

Days after the Robinson brothers and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad went missing during a surfing trip, relatives of the trio identified their bodies on Monday (AEST).

Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson were murdered in Mexico.

Their bodies were recovered from a well in a remote area near Santo Tomas, about 115 kilometres south of the US border.

According to Mexican authorities, thieves apparently killed the men in a botched attempt to steal their ute because they wanted its tyres, in a crime that has shocked the local community and sparked tributes from across the globe.

"This has really affected us because we have a very close relationship with the USA and surfers from all over the world who come here for our beautiful beaches and perfect waves, and really help our economy," Antonio Otanez, the president of the Baja Surfing Association, told this masthead.

"I've been surfing for more than 35 years, and this is the first time I've seen this type of situation.

"We don't want to get involved in political issues, but the only thing we are asking from the government is security in our beaches."

The photos of Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad are placed on the beach in Ensenada, Mexico.Credit: AP

Past murders

The tragedy is reminiscent of a similar murder in 2015 involving two other Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, who were killed in Sinaloa, a north-west state of Mexico across the bay from where the Robinsons were slain.

Mates Coleman and Lucas, both 33, had just finished construction jobs in Edmonton, Canada, and embarked on a road trip to Mexico.

"I don't know what I am doing in 10 years, let alone next year," Coleman wrote in a Facebook post at the time, "but I don't think that matters. Because today is today. And today is good."

After taking a ferry from Baja across the Gulf of California to Sinaloa state, their van was reportedly intercepted by a gang driving a car that flashed police-like lights.

Coleman was shot in the face when he tried to resist, prosecutors said. The robbers then killed Lucas, drove their vehicle to another location and set it on fire.

Their murders, along with those of 33-year-old Jake, 30-year-old Callum Robinson and Rhoad, are now among more than 430,000 homicides that have taken place in Mexico since 2006, when the government declared war on the drug cartels: the leading suppliers of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and other illegal narcotics into the US.

A demonstrator's bodyboard reads in Spanish "No more violence" during protests at the death of the Robinson brothers and their American friend in Ensenada, Mexico, on Sunday.Credit: AP

Last year, UN officials announced that 111,916 people have disappeared, never to be found again, since records began in 1962.

It's a jarring juxtaposition in a paradise such as Baja California, a 1223-kilometre peninsula that lures millions of tourists every year, many of whom drive from San Diego over the border into Tijuana before heading to less frenzied destinations further south.

But figures from the University of San Diego's Justice in Mexico initiative found that homicides in Baja California now account for one in 10 murders nationwide, and the region ended 2021 with the second-highest total number of reported homicides among all Mexican states.

"After Baja California's newly elected state and local officials took office in December 2021, violence surged over the next several months, including deadly attacks on journalists in early 2022 and highly public messages sent by organised crime groups in the summer of 2022," researcher Randall Ramos wrote in a recent Justice In Mexico paper on public security.

"Midway through 2022, the monthly homicide rate was nearly four times greater than it had been a decade earlier."

The recent spike in crime appears, in part, to be a paradoxical result of authorities attempting to crack down on it. Since the "war on drugs" began in 2006, dozens of "capos", heads of organised crime syndicates, have been arrested or killed.

Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were from Golden Bay in Western Australia.Credit: Facebook

But without those leaders, warring groups have fought for spoils or members have ventured out on their own.

Some have turned to highway robbery to make their money, hijacking cars and stripping motorists of their valuables.

State Attorney-General María Elena Andrade Ramírez said there was no indication yet that any of Mexico's organised crime gangs had been involved in the killings of the Robinson brothers or Rhoad.

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Condolences for surfers

Three Mexican nationals have now been detained, one of whom has been charged with kidnapping. The other two are being held for possession of the drug crystal meth.

Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena offered condolences to the men's parents and her office said it "expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims in the face of this tragic event and deeply regrets the outcome of the events".

In a statement from his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, Australia Professor Merrilee Needham said Jake Robinson "will be remembered for being a warm-hearted, friendly, fun-loving doctor, who was well-loved by students and staff alike". The school will hold a special mass in his memory in Perth on Tuesday.

And as tributes flowed for the trio, Callum was remembered by the Australian men's lacrosse team head coach Glenn Meredith as someone who "had always had this huge aura and zest for life and coupled with that massive smile.

"There is no sense to this nor are there any words that I, or anyone, could ever say that would ease the loss for the Robinson family."

Locals in Ensenada, Mexico, march to protest the disappearance of foreign surfers. Surfboard signe, centre, reads: "Beaches - safety - freedom - peace".Credit: AP

The US State Department has been urging tourists to reconsider travelling to the area, and to be on high alert if they do.

"Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery, is widespread and common in Mexico," says the advisory, which is part of a warning that has been in effect since late August.

"Use toll roads when you can and do not drive alone or at night. Be extra cautious when visiting local bars, nightclubs or casinos. Do not show any signs of wealth (i.e. jewellery, etc). Be vigilant around banks and ATMs."

Surfers throw flowers during a tribute to the Australians and American in Ensenada, Mexico.Credit: AP

But back at the Baja Surfing Association, Antonio Otanez insists the area remains safe.

"You hear a lot of talk about the cartels in Mexico, but the truth is that the beaches are safe and all the surfers are safe, you just have to be alert, just as you would in any other city in the world," said Otanez, whose group took part in a "paddle out" vigil for the three slain men on Sunday.

"This murder is a very unusual situation. And it's very, very sad."

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