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Extortion in Mérida: This is how Mayor Renán Barrera’s municipal protection racket’ works

- April 26, 2023

Mayor Renán Barrera Concha is once again in controversy; On this occasion, the denouncers are the owners of bars in the city of Mérida.

We must remember that Renan Barrera is one of the best evaluated mayors in the country, therefore this situation could tarnish his reputation at the national level, in addition to damaging his possible candidacy for governor of the state of Yucatan in the coming years elections.

The merchants assure that the Mérida City Council is carrying out a “real estate mafia” through its Secretary of the Interior, Ignacio Gutiérrez Solís. This, because it is no longer possible to launder money directly, says Senator Verónica Camino Farjat, from the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party.

It is stipulated that there are “municipal protection racket”, as several owners of bars and canteens have denounced, which are charged by a person who does not work or is on the payroll of the City Council but attends all the meetings to which the owners are summoned. Since in this way there is a facilitator that is not registered on a payroll, a culprit cannot be found through audits.

How much does the ‘protection’ of the City Council cost?

The so-called ‘municipal protection packages’ can cost up to 15,000 pesos. The price varies depending on the license. This new extortion is given in such a way that, if the payment is not made, the businesses will be closed.

Some of those affected by the floor charge are: bars, canteens or cabarets, the municipality grant them a license as restaurants so that they can more easily extort them.


Source: Por Esto