More than 50 public servants have been removed from the Tulum city government during the current administration following corruption complaints and internal reviews, the head of the municipal Anticorruption Commission said this week.
The disclosure gives residents the clearest official accounting yet of how deep the personnel turnover has run inside a city hall that handles permits, tax collection, and public works for one of the Riviera Maya's most closely watched municipalities. It also lands days after the sitting treasurer was detained at the Cancún airport in a separate federal case.
How corruption complaints move through Tulum's city hall
Eugenio Barbachano Loza, a council member on Tulum's Cabildo and president of its Anticorruption Commission, said the removals stem from citizen complaints that are channeled to municipal offices for review before any action is taken. He pointed to the Contraloría Municipal, Recursos Humanos, Oficialía Mayor, and the mayor's office as the areas that examine each case and decide on administrative measures.
Barbachano Loza said testimony is gathered from residents who report extortion, mistreatment, or other problems with officials. He acknowledged that not every complaint can be proven. When there are sufficient elements, or repeated accusations against the same worker, the matter proceeds under internal protocols, and the Contraloría or, if warranted, outside authorities continue the investigation. That distinction matters, because a dismissal is an administrative measure and does not by itself establish criminal responsibility.
Bribery, embezzlement, and a payroll that flagged 200 workers
According to the council member, the most serious administrative faults involved bribery, described as officials pocketing money that should have reached the municipal treasury, and embezzlement, the use of public resources for personal gain or to benefit relatives and associates. He said the departures reached staff across several departments.
Regional reporting from Noticaribe and Marcrix Noticias placed those exits across Tesorería, Desarrollo Urbano, Obras Públicas, Turismo, Oficialía Mayor, Fiscalización, Protección Civil, Recursos Humanos, and Tránsito. Barbachano Loza also said a review of the municipal payroll identified more than 200 people drawing salaries without being assigned to any workplace, a group of no-show workers he said were inherited from earlier administrations.
He tied the cleanup to budget pressure, pointing to lower tourism forecasts and a push to cut public spending. Those forecasts track with the broader slump the municipality has faced this year, as reduced hotel occupancy and softer visitor numbers have drawn sustained public attention.
The treasurer's detention at the Cancún airport
Barbachano Loza drew a firm line between the municipal dismissals and the departure of former treasurer Vicente Francisco Aldape Moncada. He said Aldape's exit was not connected to administrative corruption inside city hall but to a federal matter arising from events at the Cancún airport, and that the Fiscalía General de la República would handle his legal situation.
National outlets including La Jornada, Proceso, and Excélsior reported that Aldape Moncada was detained by the Guardia Nacional early on July 2 at Terminal 2 of Cancún International Airport, before boarding a flight to Monterrey, after he was found carrying firearms reserved for military use without accrediting the required permits. He was placed at the disposal of the FGR, which opened an investigation to determine his legal standing.
Aldape Moncada announced his irrevocable resignation days later, in a video and a letter to Mayor Diego Castañón Trejo, saying he was stepping aside so the investigation could proceed without affecting the municipal government. He described himself as a man of principle who trusts the law and its institutions. He has not been convicted, and the federal process will determine whether any offense was committed.
Some reports referenced undeclared cash or a mix-up over luggage, but no federal authority has confirmed those versions. The Tulum government acknowledged the resignation in a brief statement that thanked Aldape Moncada for his work and made no reference to the investigation.
Who is expected to take over the Tesorería?
Aldape Moncada had led the municipal treasury since 2023 and was ratified by the Cabildo in January 2025 to continue through the 2024 to 2027 term, a period he now leaves incomplete. He had previously stepped into the role after Antonio Miranda.
Local reporting points to Rubén Raziel Ek as the leading candidate to take over the Tesorería, though the appointment must still be approved by the Cabildo before it becomes official. The state government has said that because the case is federal, only the FGR can conduct the investigation and define Aldape Moncada's legal situation.
What remains unresolved is how many of the more than 50 dismissals will lead to formal proceedings rather than administrative separations, and whether the Contraloría will make its findings public. For now, the commission's numbers and the treasurer's federal case sit side by side, one presented as proof of internal cleanup, the other a problem that reached the highest financial office in the municipality.
Do you think the dismissals show real accountability inside Tulum's city hall, or should the findings be made public first? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.