Two sentenced in Cancun extortion cases
Original reporting: Macropolis Quintana Roo
What happened
Two men received prison sentences in separate Cancun extortion cases, including demands for 300,000 pesos and 4,000 pesos a month, according to Quintana Roo prosecutors.
Reporting and context
Two men were sentenced to prison in separate extortion cases involving businesses in Cancun, according to the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor's Office.
Luis Felipe Canché Ceballos received a sentence of 22 years and six months and a fine of 155,610 pesos. Prosecutors said he arrived with two other men at a business on Tulum Avenue in Cancun's Supermanzana 2, claimed to belong to a criminal group and demanded 300,000 pesos as “derecho de piso,” or a protection payment. The threat included an attack on the business if the money was not delivered. The prosecutor's office said Canché Ceballos is also under investigation in other alleged extortion cases.
In the separate case, Ángel Ariel Sánchez Herrera was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 103,704 pesos. According to the prosecutor's office, the incident occurred on May 3, 2023, when Sánchez Herrera arrived by motorcycle with another man, threatened a victim with a firearm and demanded 4,000 pesos a month. Two days later, the victim handed over 2,600 pesos when Sánchez Herrera returned to collect the payment.
Macropolis Quintana Roo reported that the two sentences arose from independent proceedings and were issued after judges reviewed evidence presented by prosecutors. The office also linked Sánchez Herrera to investigations into possible extortion at businesses in Cancun's Tres Reyes neighborhood.