Tulum Police Extort Tourists With Bank Terminals

TULUM — American tourists have reported being victims of extortion by police officers at a checkpoint located on the extension of Kukulkán Avenue, near the coastal zone of Tulum. According to their account, the officers demanded a payment of $1,100 (approximately 20,000 pesos) to avoid being detained, and carried out the charge using a bank terminal, a practice that reveals a new modus operandi for local security forces.

According to the testimony of the victims, the vehicle in which they were traveling was stopped for a routine inspection. The police officers requested their documents, and upon presenting their digital driver's license, the agents refused to accept it, arguing that only the physical version was valid. Immediately afterward, they informed the tourists that this "infraction" warranted a 36-hour detention, unless they made an on-the-spot payment to avoid the procedure.

Under pressure, and faced with the warning that they would be taken to a unit with the initials "Blindaje Tulum," belonging to the Tulum Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the tourists agreed to pay. The charge was made in two transactions through a Clip terminal registered under the name "SSC-Tulum": one for $273.75 and another for $820.75.

The affected individuals explained that they were in a vulnerable situation: their flight was departing the next day and they could not risk a prolonged detention. Despite explaining this circumstance, the agents maintained the demand for payment as the only alternative to release them.

This case has caused outrage among residents and tourism service providers, who warn that these recurring practices are driving away the little tourism that still visits the region, amid a low season marked by a reduction in international flights and a drop in hotel occupancy.

Citizen organizations have demanded that state and municipal authorities investigate and sanction those responsible, as the use of bank terminals to carry out extortion reveals a more structured scheme than simple isolated acts.

At the moment, no official statement has been issued by the Tulum Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection.