Playa del Carmen Police Restructuring Aimed at Boosting Fine Revenue, Sources Say

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The municipal government of Playa del Carmen has restructured the Secretariat of Public Security (SSC) in an effort to generate more revenue through fines, according to anonymous sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The sources said police officers have been ordered to change their strategies and prioritize issuing fines, even without justification, to meet revenue targets. The goal, they claim, is to fill the government’s coffers ahead of upcoming election campaigns.

One source, identified only as J.A.M., said the former director of Municipal Transit, Arturo Pech Martínez, was removed from his post because he refused to participate in what he called a “dirty game” to collect millions of pesos monthly. During his tenure, Pech Martínez reported that the city was collecting 4 million pesos per month from traffic fines and other penalties. He was asked to increase that to 8 million pesos but refused, arguing it would unfairly burden citizens. He was subsequently fired.

Another source, M.P.B., said a similar situation occurred with the head of the SSC. The governor of Quintana Roo provided a small plane to Playa del Carmen to bolster surveillance, but Mayor Estefanía Mercado rejected the measure, leading to the dismissal of Lieutenant Raúl Tassinari.

Both sources said the municipal government staged a security strategy overhaul, announcing it would strengthen citizen surveillance, while internally police were told the real goal was to raise money for the next elections. Each officer is reportedly required to deliver a certain amount of money, regardless of how it is obtained.

This has led to proposals to charge citizens for using tinted windows, despite municipal traffic regulations. The sources also said prosecutors have been instructed to extort small businesses and street vendors, and some small hotels have already complied out of fear of reprisals.