Two arrested in alleged Tabasco extortion network
Original reporting: El Financiero
What happened
Authorities arrested Mario “N” and Juvenal “N” in Guadalajara in an investigation into alleged extortion messages targeting 77 meat-sector branches in Tabasco.
Reporting and context
Authorities arrested two men in Guadalajara who are being investigated in connection with an alleged extortion network targeting meat businesses in Tabasco, El Financiero reported. The detainees were identified by their initials as Mario “N,” also known as “El Fiera,” and Juvenal “N,” known as “El Coreano.” Omar García Harfuch, head of Mexico’s Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat, said both had arrest warrants alleging aggravated extortion, homicide and criminal association.
According to El Financiero, investigators say the pair belonged to a cell that sent extortion messages to 77 branches in the meat sector through internet platforms, a method authorities said was intended to make the senders harder to locate. Intelligence work and investigative follow-up reportedly led authorities to identify the men in Guadalajara and carry out the operation.
The arrests bring to eight the number of alleged members of the organization detained so far, according to the report. Personnel from the security secretariat, the Defense Secretariat, the National Guard, the Attorney General’s Office and other federal and Tabasco agencies took part in the operation. The men were informed of their legal rights and placed before a prosecutor, who will determine their legal status. The case remains an investigation, and the allegations have not been established in court.
Source: El Financiero