Restaurant Chain Extortion: Two Charged in Mexico

CANCUN, MX — The Attorney General's Office of the State of Quintana Roo announced that in separate hearings, it secured the formal charging of Ángel Arturo “N” and Iván Leonel “N” for their alleged involvement in aggravated extortion crimes. The victims, whose identities are protected, are from the Benito Juárez municipality.

According to the investigation, Ángel Arturo “N” was identified by the owner of a chain of restaurants in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Bacalar. The suspect allegedly demanded monthly "protection" payments of 17,500 pesos for each location, totaling 70,000 pesos per month. After a period of complying with the demands, the business owner reported the crimes, leading to the suspect's arrest.

A judge ruled to formally charge the suspect and imposed a preventative detention measure of two years in prison.

In a separate case, Iván Leonel “N” allegedly threatened the same victim on July 26. The accused went to the victim's family's home in Cancun's Supermanzana 76 to deliver an intimidating message. He subsequently sent messages via social media demanding a payment of 180,000 pesos under threat of causing harm.

Following the business owner's refusal, armed individuals fired shots at the family's home on August 4. This act forced the victim to transfer 9,000 pesos to a bank account linked to the accused.

Finally, on September 4, agents of the Investigative Police served an arrest warrant for Iván Leonel “N”. The judge ruled to formally charge him and imposed a preventative detention measure of one year, or for the duration of the complementary investigation.

The Specialized Attorney's Office in Combating Kidnapping and Extortion Crimes confirmed that both legal processes remain open.