Extortion Gang Targeted Cancún Transport Workers for Months

Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo — The State Attorney General’s Office has dealt a decisive blow against an extortion network that for months kept public transport operators under threat in Supermanzana 249. A control judge ordered six people to be linked to trial, allegedly responsible for imposing an armed and violent “protection fee” that paralyzed and terrorized dozens of drivers.

The accused were identified as Lucía Zuleyma “N”, Moisés Arif “N”, Benny Jonathan “N”, Raúl Antonio “N”, Francisco “N”, and Ernesto de Jesús “N”. According to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Kidnapping and Extortion, this group began operating in June 2024, when they burst into a minibus base to warn operators that, from that moment on, each would have to pay them 100 pesos weekly… or face death.

The threats did not remain just words. The aggressors arrived on multiple occasions armed, showing pistols and assuring that “they knew where the operators lived” if anyone refused to pay. In total, 27 drivers were forced to hand over money each week, while the gang structured a collection system that operated with criminal punctuality on Tuesdays.

The Woman Who Took Control of Collection

On August 26, the group took a turn in its operation: Francisco “N”, accompanied by another individual and Lucía Zuleyma “N”, appeared again at the base to announce that, from that day on, she would be the new person in charge of collecting the protection fee. From then on, the woman appeared each week to collect the money, and even ordered drivers to transport her to other bases to extend her extortion network.

Arrested After Months of Terror

The Prosecutor’s Office executed arrest warrants against the six individuals involved, compiling a solid case file that allowed the judge to determine the link to trial. Due to the seriousness of the crime and the level of violence exercised, they were ordered to remain in preventive detention throughout the judicial process.

This case once again exposes the vulnerability of the transport sector to criminal groups seeking to finance themselves through protection fee collection. The link to trial represents progress, but also highlights the urgency of reinforcing surveillance and protection for those who work on public roads and who, for months, were completely at the mercy of these criminals.