An upscale restaurant in Mexico is exposing an alleged extortion scheme by government officials in the state of Yucatan. The restaurant chain pressed charges with state authorities, claiming that government officials have been trying to extort protection fees from the restaurant.
The popular restaurant chain Sonora Grill filed a complaint with the Yucatan Attorney General’s Office, claiming state inspectors have been extorting the company over one of their restaurants in the city of Merida, Yucatan. The restaurant claimed that the inspectors used false code violations to shut down the establishment and then demanded large sums of cash in order to reopen.
According to a report from El Sol de Yucatan, the incidents began on September 12, when state health inspectors arrived at the restaurant unannounced for a “random” inspection. The inspectors ordered that the restaurant be shut down after finding cigarette butts in the trash cans outside and claiming that the chlorine levels in the shopping center where the restaurant operates were not up to code.
Five days later, a representative of the restaurant group met with Abraham Antonio Puch Cardeña, the deputy director of the state health department, who demanded almost $29,000 (USD) to allow the restaurant to reopen and then a monthly protection fee of $1,700. After the restaurant chain refused to pay, state officials issued a $25,000 fine, alleging health code violations.
The issue has sparked widespread controversy in Yucatan, which is a state under the control of Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA. The move by state officials is similar to an ongoing practice in Tamaulipas, another state controlled by the same ruling party. As Breitbart Texas reported, in the border city of Matamoros, city officials used similar tactics to extort local businesses; however, the money was being collected on behalf of the Gulf Cartel.
In August 2024, a group of cartel gunmen shot and killed Julio Cesar Almanza, the head of a local chamber of commerce in Matamoros. The decedent had been exposing the relationship between the city and the Gulf Cartel, as well as the extortion scheme they had been using to prey on business owners. His murder remains unsolved.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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