Money exchange houses have become targets of extortion by cartels

Money exchange houses are being targeted by gangs in Tijuana. (Salvador Rivera/Border Report)

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — A man is now in custody for setting fire to a money exchange house earlier this week in Tijuana.

The Baja California attorney general’s office says the suspect involved works with a gang that has been extorting money from currency exchange businesses throughout the region in recent months.

Others are being sought for their role in the arson incident and the ongoing extortion attempts.

“It’s evident this type of behavior is aimed at creating fear in this industry,” said María Elena Andrade Ramírez, Baja’s A.G. “The arson attempt was a message to others now being extorted.”

Andrade Ramírez also told reporters on Thursday her office is looking into several reports of organized crime demanding payments from money exchange houses.

She added that just in the last month, three other exchange businesses were attacked by vandals using Molotov cocktails.

Andrade Ramírez is encouraging business owners to report anyone who is demanding money from them.

“If they don’t want to file a formal complaint, at the very least they can approach us for an informal meeting where we will tell them what their options are and how we can offer protection.”

She said business owners can also file anonymous complaints that will be investigated.

According to the news weekly Zeta, Tijuana is not the only city in Baja where organized criminal groups extract “floor fees” or extortion money from merchants.

Groups like the Sinaloa cartel are targeting seafood vendors in the port city of Ensenada with a monthly 20,000- to 60,000-peso fee ($1,100 to $1,600) depending on the size of the business, Zeta said in an investigative report published this week.