Puerto Aventuras Mayor Arrested in Alleged Extortion of Merchant

Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo — State investigators arrested Puerto Aventuras Mayor Gilberto Gómez Martínez and two other people on Thursday, October 15, in a case alleging that a merchant was charged for a free administrative form, threatened with the loss of her goods and later pressured into making weekly payments.

The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office said it executed arrest warrants issued by a judge against the mayor; Karla Paola “N,” an employee of the Puerto Aventuras Economic Development Department; and Jorge “N.” All three are under investigation for their alleged involvement in aggravated extortion. The prosecutor’s account concerns a merchant in the Puerto Maya neighborhood and describes events between January and May 2026.

The arrests are confirmed, but the allegations have not been proved in court. The three detainees are entitled to the presumption of innocence, and a judge must determine their legal status.

What Investigators Allege Happened

According to the prosecutor’s account, the case began when personnel from the Puerto Aventuras mayor’s office told a merchant that she needed to regularize her business and directed her to Karla Paola “N.”

On January 19, the merchant went to the official’s office. Investigators allege she was asked to complete a form and pay for it, with a warning that her merchandise could be taken away and she could be prevented from selling if she did not comply. The prosecutor said the form itself was free.

The alleged pressure escalated on February 6, when six people arrived at the business in two mototaxis. Prosecutors say Jorge “N” told the merchant, purportedly on the mayor’s instructions, that vendors had to report to Karla Paola “N” or they would be “picked up.” He allegedly threatened to return and beat them with a board if they failed to do so.

The merchant returned to the official’s office on February 11, completed more paperwork and made a payment, according to investigators. They allege she was told the document would provide protection while Gómez Martínez remained in office.

On May 7, Jorge “N” allegedly returned with two other people and demanded a further weekly payment, despite the earlier payment. Prosecutors say he threatened to remove vendors from the area and assault them, and claimed that he and his uncle made the rules there. The merchant then began making the weekly payments, according to the investigation.

The prosecutor’s office sought arrest warrants based on those allegations. A judge granted them, and the three detainees were placed before the court. The account does not establish that every merchant in Puerto Aventuras was subjected to the same demands; the announced case centers on one complainant whose identity is protected.

What Is Confirmed—and What Is Not

Early reports circulated before the prosecutor released its account, including one that said there had been no official confirmation of the arrests. That information has been overtaken by the Attorney General’s Office announcement.

Some posts have also accused Gómez Martínez of links to retail drug sales, illegal land occupations and influence peddling. Those claims are not part of the extortion allegations announced by prosecutors, and no supporting charges or evidence for them were identified in the material reviewed for this report. They should not be presented as findings of the investigation.

Accounts also differ about Jorge “N”’s relationship to the mayor. An initial report described him as a brother; the prosecutor’s account refers to Jorge’s claim that he and his uncle made the rules, and subsequent reports identify him as the mayor’s nephew. His relationship is secondary to the charges, which the court has yet to assess.

Who Leads Puerto Aventuras Now?

Puerto Aventuras is an alcaldía within the municipality of Playa del Carmen, not a separate municipality. Gómez Martínez was serving the 2024–2027 term and had previously held the post. A claim that he was its first elected mayor in 2024 is incorrect: he was reelected. The Playa del Carmen municipal government’s official election announcement records 2,818 votes for him in December 2024, rather than the 1,916 reported in one of the initial stories.

The same announcement lists Claudio Teh Cen as the mayoral alternate. The regulations governing the alcaldía address absences and changes in office, but an arrest should not be treated as an automatic announcement that the alternate has taken over. As of this report, no municipal decision naming an acting mayor had been verified.

For residents and businesses, the immediate questions extend beyond the criminal case: who will supervise the mayor’s office, whether services and legitimate permit processes will continue uninterrupted, and whether authorities will review payments demanded from other merchants. The court’s next decision will concern the three detainees’ legal status; any wider investigation or administrative changes will require separate announcements.