Unidentified gunmen shot dead a prominent Mexican politician in Acapulco, authorities said Sunday.

Gunmen executed Braulio Zaragoza, head of the conservative opposition National Action Party in Guerrero state, early Sunday on the terrace of an Acapulco restaurant as he was in a meeting, the state prosecutor's office said.

Three gunmen were involved in the killing at the El Mirador hotel, the statement said.

Local politicians often have been targeted by threats and violence since the start of Mexico's military offensive against drug cartels and other organized crime under former president Felipe Calderon. So far, more than 80,000 people have been killed in the bloodletting.