El País reports alleged protection-payment scheme in Puerto Aventuras
El País México reports that Quintana Roo prosecutors accuse Gilberto Gómez and two others of using threats to obtain payments from merchants, with demands traced to early 2026.
Quintana Roo prosecutors announced the arrest of Puerto Aventuras mayor Gilberto Gómez and two other people over an alleged scheme to demand protection payments from local merchants, according to El País México.
The other detainees are Karla Paola “N,” an employee of the local Economic Development Directorate, and Jorge “N,” whom prosecutors accuse of intimidating vendors into making improper payments at the town hall. Prosecutors said Jorge claimed that he and his uncle imposed the rules in the area.
Puerto Aventuras is about 22 kilometers from Playa del Carmen. El País México reported that investigators traced the case to early 2026, when local government personnel visited a business in the Puerto Maya neighborhood and told its operator to regularize the business through Karla Paola “N.”
The merchant went to her on January 19 and was allegedly required to complete paperwork and pay, under threat of having goods confiscated and being barred from selling. Prosecutors said the document was free.
On February 6, Jorge “N” allegedly arrived by motorcycle taxi with six other people and told the merchant that vendors had to report in on the mayor’s orders or face abduction or beatings with a board. The merchant subsequently returned to Karla Paola “N,” who allegedly accepted money and promised protection from the local government while Gómez remained in power.
In May, Jorge “N” allegedly returned to demand another weekly payment, repeating the threats, the newspaper reported.
For national context, El País cited a Security Secretariat statement reporting 1,674 arrests for extortion between early July 2025 and July 2026. That nationwide figure covers a separate period and is not a count from the Puerto Aventuras investigation.
The arrests also came a week after the federal Security Cabinet announced a separate case in Metepec, State of Mexico, involving a Michoacán official, relatives and a bodyguard. Authorities accused that group of impersonating officials to demand payments, including using artificial intelligence tools to alter voices, El País reported.
Original report: El País México.