Mexico police bust 11 gangs in widespread extortion ring across Tijuana region

Tijuana, Mexico – Mexican authorities say they’ve dealt a significant blow to organized crime in the Tijuana region, dismantling 11 gangs accused of extorting businesses across the city and neighboring areas. At a Thursday morning press conference, officials announced that 37 people had been arrested in a multi-agency sting operation that stretched across Tijuana, Ensenada, and Rosarito.

Tijuana’s Secretary of Public Security, Laureano Carrillo Rodríguez, told reporters that the suspects were all targeting local businesses with threats of violence and property damage if they didn’t pay monthly fees, a practice widely known as cobro de piso. “The results we’ve gotten were fortunately very good,” Carrillo Rodríguez said. “Some of the arrests took place as the suspects were showing up to collect the money or in the process of demanding payment.”

The operation unfolded over several days, ending Monday. It involved a coordinated effort between Mexican Marines, the National Guard, and Tijuana’s municipal police. Carrillo Rodríguez framed the arrests as a step forward in a broader effort announced earlier this summer, when the city launched a new anti-extortion center on August 4. The initiative aims to combine intelligence gathering with targeted operations while also offering better support for victims. Authorities have also promoted the 089 help line, a tool introduced last year for residents and business owners to report extortion and other crimes.

Still, skepticism remains. Local business leaders say the hotline has not lived up to its promise. Tijuana’s Chamber of Commerce has criticized the program, arguing that too few calls result in real investigations, let alone prosecutions. Over the past year, as many as 300 businesses in Tijuana have reported being victims of extortion, according to the chamber. Many owners describe the practice as so common it’s become an unavoidable “tax” on doing business in the region.

The arrests this week are meant to challenge that sense of inevitability. For years, extortion has been one of the most corrosive criminal practices in northern Mexico, draining small and medium businesses while feeding larger organized crime networks. Authorities say that by targeting groups directly at the point of collection, they hope to deter others and encourage more victims to come forward.

For now, the 37 arrests are being held up as a victory — proof that the city’s stepped-up strategy can deliver results. Whether those results are sustainable, and whether they translate into safer conditions for the business community, will depend on what happens next: convictions, accountability, and a willingness by authorities to follow through in a region where trust has often been fragile.