The American woman who was killed by a stray bullet during a shootout between warring drug traffickers in Tulum earlier this month moved to Mexico because she was worried about crime in her hometown of Los Angeles, according to her husband.
Former DEA agent Karl Perman told Fox News Digital For the past five years, he and his wife of nearly 15 years, Niko Honalbakhsh, 44, have been splitting their time between their home in Beverly Hills and a condo in Cancun.
“We were aware of the Department of State recommendations and were also aware of reports of crime in the area. [of Mexico]. But to be honest, our opinion was, look at Los Angeles,” Perman told the outlet last week. “So, the truth is, depending on the region, I feel safer in Cancun many times than I do in Los Angeles.”
In a travel advisory issued last year by the State Department for the state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun and Tulum (where Honalbahsh was shot and killed at a beach club on February 9), the State Department urged Americans to “exercise vigilance against crime.” ing.
“Criminal activity and violence can occur anytime and anywhere, including in popular tourist destinations,” the advisory warns. “Travelers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illegal activity is taking place, and promptly leave potentially dangerous situations. Although not directed at tourists, they should Innocent bystanders are injured in gang-on-gang shootings.
Perman, who now works in the private energy sector and often travels for work, feels safer with his wife living in Cancun, especially after a painful close call last summer. He said that during his time there, he was very worried about violence.
While on a business trip, Honalbakhsh’s grieving husband called and said he had been chased by a knife-wielding maniac while walking their dogs, Coco and Skyler, on the UCLA campus.
Honalbakhsh escaped unharmed and was able to call the police.
Perman was on a business trip to Florida earlier this month, while his wife drove to the popular resort town of Tulum, about two hours’ drive from their Cancun condo, and booked them into an Airbnb for a short vacation with their dog. I decided to stay at.
Perman said on February 9, while en route to Mexico via Dallas, he received a call from a friend who told him that an American woman matching his wife’s description had been shot to death at the Mia Beach Club in Tulum.
By the time he arrived in Tulum, the local police headquarters and morgue were closed for the night, so he headed to the seaside crime scene.
When the security guard let Perman inside, Perman said he saw his wife’s hat and dog’s vest discarded in the sand. He also found his family’s car in the beach club parking lot.
Perman said after speaking with security guards and reviewing security footage of the fatal incident, he was able to piece together what happened.
The video reportedly showed the alleged drug dealer arriving at the club, finding his rival and opening fire. A chase and gunfight ensued, during which two stray bullets hit Honalbakhsh.
One of the alleged drug traffickers, a Belizean national, was also killed. He was found to be in possession of cocaine and pills.
Prosecutors in Quintana Roo state said Honalbahsh was not involved in any illegal activity, contrary to false local reports that she was romantically involved with the man killed in the shootout.
Three suspects in the shooting have been identified, but no arrests have been made so far.
Perman slammed the Mexican authorities’ response to his wife’s murder.
“The important thing is that no one at any level helped me until I actually stood on their base and requested and called for assistance,” Perman said. “The thing is, I want people to know that they have to use their voice to say it.”
Perman was also furious that he had to protect his wife’s reputation in the face of unsubstantiated rumors that she was not an American citizen and had been trafficking drugs around Tulum for several months.
“It seems like every time an American is killed here, it means they were doing something wrong,” the widow said.
