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Yucatan Police Accused of Illegal Detention and Robbery; Merida Police corruption exposed

- November 22, 2021

MÉRIDA.- “We arrived in Yucatán thinking that it is a safe place, but now we don’t know if we have to be careful of street crime or the Yucatan police, ” said a businessman from Tabasco, who affirms that his rights were violated by elements of the Ministry of Public Security (SSP) when he was illegally detained, along with his family, for appearing “suspicious.”

Those affected are fully identified but decided not to publish their names for fear of reprisals. They explained that they were deprived of their liberty, beaten and insulted by uniformed men; Furthermore, one of them was threatened by the agents with fabricating crimes for him. The man also noted that while they were being held in the public jail, the State Investigative Police (PEI) entered their home to steal cash and other valuables.

The complaint of those affected

The man related that he arrived with his family to settle in Mérida four months ago. He and his partner are dedicated to investing in businesses related to tourism in Quintana Roo and Yucatán, which is why, between the two states, they preferred Mérida for its safety.

In an interview with Megamedia, the businessman pointed out that on Thursday morning he left with his wife and his partner from the house they rent in the Las Américas subdivision to go and get the Covid vaccine. However, realizing that there were no vaccinations that day, they decided to return home. On the way, they came across an exchange house that had a very cheap dollar price.

They pay their suppliers in dollars

“As we pay our suppliers in dollars. My partner came down to ask if the price was correct and asked if they were selling $ 10,000 or $ 15,000, ”he said. The manager of the place answered her partner that she had not and asked the man if he had the money with him. The businessman said no, he just wanted to know and left the place. However, before boarding the vehicle they were in, a person began taking photos of them.

At first, he explains, they thought of asking the person why he was taking photos of them. However, they decided to let him pass and went to a square in Cordemex, until around one in the afternoon, when he had to go to school for his daughter.

Before arriving at the school, located in the same subdivision where they live, they were stopped by a van labeled with the initials of the SSP. “The policeman told us to go down and down without problems. We agreed to what they told us. They checked the car, they brought dogs to sniff the car, but they didn’t find anything, because we don’t have anything, “said the victim.


According to the account, in a few minutes, more police officers and trucks from the PEI arrived. The agents told the complainant, his wife, and his partner that the car was reported as a suspect and that “was the reason for his arrest.” Those affected were interviewed and provided data on the house they rent, their work activity, and more personal data, but from one moment to another, the three were handcuffed and put on the patrol that detained them, to be transferred to the SSP building. in the Peripheral of Mérida.

“I was begging them to let my wife go to school for my daughter. There was no one to go for her, but they did not care, he said.

Yucatan police officers stole their belongings, they say

When they arrived at the SSP, they took away their belongings, including watches, cash, cell phones, wallets, bank cards and the keys to the house where they live. However, they were not entered into the building. They were kept in a nearby courtyard and there they were “handed over” to the PEI, whose elements transferred them in different vehicles for questioning.

“Between insults and threats, they asked us where do we have the dollars, that we tell the truth, what do we do. They forced us to hand over the passwords for our cell phones and our (mobile) banks. I had 15 thousand pesos in my account, but they forced me to give him my card pin. They told me that they are only going to leave me two thousand pesos and that later I will report it as missing ”, said one of the businessmen.

After three hours the detainees were admitted to the public jail. However, they affirm that some of their belongings such as telephones with a value of about 30 thousand pesos, cash, brand watches, and bank cards were not documented in the records.

According to the testimony, the detainees asked and insisted on making a call that by right corresponds to them, but they were not allowed to do so. Instead, they received slaps on the chest and neck. They were imprisoned for 15 hours, regaining their freedom on Friday the 19th at 7 in the morning.

Upon leaving, they walked several kilometers on the periphery of Mérida and near Francisco de Montejo they were able to board a taxi. They came to the house of a friend of his who lent them money and his car. In the afternoon those affected decided to go home. When they arrived, they were surprised, since when they entered the house they found things mixed up.

“Everything was mixed up. I had dollars that I had exchanged to pay suppliers and they took them away. They took computers, cell phone chargers, four perfumes with a value of more than 2000 pesos. In total they took more than 150 thousand pesos, ”said the interviewee, who explained that by inquiring among the neighbors, he was able to know that hours after his arrest, the state police were making patrols in his house and asking among the neighbors if they knew about the activity of those who lived in that place. He thinks that it was the same police who entered the home, without any court order, and committed the crime of “house robbery”, taking advantage of the fact that they had the key to the home.

“We decided to come to Mérida because security is discussed at the national level, but the truth is that we don’t know who to watch out for. The police committed an abuse of authority. They deprived us of our freedom because there was no single reason for them to detain us and they also stole our belongings, “said the Tabasco businessman, who had to cancel his bank cards so that they would not be looted by the same state police.

Due to all of the above, those affected decided to go to the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), to file a complaint against the Yucatan police. However, they were told right there, according to the account, that they may not achieve anything because “they commit the crimes and they themselves are what they investigate.”

Those affected indicated that they are afraid of what may happen to them since the police have all their documents and they already know everything about them. They said they hold the SSP responsible for what may happen to them. They also accused the authorities of discriminating against people who come to Yucatán seeking a quiet life. “The government says that here you can come to invest, but with this, you no longer know if this is true.”

Those affected indicated that they intend to file a complaint with Human Rights, but above all they made a call to the State Attorney General’s Office so that their case is not “closed”, since the police committed several crimes against them.

Source: yucatan.com.mx

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