A person is currently in police custody in Tijuana after setting fire to a cash swap house earlier this week.
According to the Baja California attorney general’s office, the suspect is associated with a crew that has recently been extorting money from local currency exchange companies.
For their part in the ongoing bribery efforts and the fire event, others are being sought.
“It’s noticeable this type of actions is aimed at creating fear in this business, ” said María Elena Andrade Ramírez, Baja’s A. G. The attempted fire was a communication to those who were currently being extorted. ”
Andrade Ramez added that on Thursday, her office was informed that it was looking into some reports of money-exchange demand payments from funds exchanges.
She continued, noting that thieves had attacked three different exchanges just last month using Molotov cocktails.
Andrade Ramrez advises owners of businesses to record any debtors they are owed money to.
At the very least, they can approach us for an informal meeting where we will explain their options and how we can protect them if they do n’t want to file a formal complaint. ”
She stated that owners of businesses may even report unidentified issues that will be investigated.
Tijuana is not the only Baja area where organized criminal organizations extort money from businesses, according to the newsweek Zeta.
Groups like the Sinaloa cartel are targeting seafood vendors in the port city of Ensenada with a monthly 20,000- to 60,000-peso fee ($ 1,100 to$ 1,600 ) depending on the size of the business, Zeta said in an investigation report was released this year.
