Cancun, Q.R. — At least two Cancun police officers have been removed from duty on allegations of citizen extortion. On the morning of February 2, officers were videoed extorting a city driver.
According to available information, the officers were asking for several thousand pesos from the occupants of the vehicle stopped. The exact amount, which according to local media was between 9,000 and 12,000, has not been confirmed by authorities.
However, authorities have confirmed both officers involved “have been removed from their posts.” In a first statement February 4, the Secretaría Municipal de Seguridad Ciudadana y Tránsito (SMSCyT) said “following the release of a video showing patrol car 5687 allegedly extorting passengers in a vehicle, an investigation was initiated (file SMCT/DAI/035/02/2025) and the officers involved were removed from their posts.
“No act of corruption will be tolerated. Action will be taken firmly and transparently.”
On February 5, another statement was released, also by the SMSCyT which read “the Municipal Secretariat for Citizen Security and Transit (SMSCyT) of Benito Juárez reports that after the dissemination of a video on social networks where elements of the corporation are observed in a police intervention with the occupants of a vehicle on Bonampak Avenue, it was a review in which the protocols were applied.”
Their dismissals were announced after the video went viral. In the 27 second clip, people from inside the private vehicle can be heard discussing the extortion where they officers ask for the money.
When the passenger inside the car say they do not have that amount, the officers offer up a nearby ATM location. The video was taken shortly after 2:00 a.m. while both vehicles were at a red light. It is not known why the private car was stopped or targeted.
In a video, Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta said “through social media, a video was shared with us where patrol 5687 allegedly extorted citizens. I immediately gave instructions to remove the police officers from their posts and investigate the events.
“In Cancun, we do not tolerate corruption or impunity! We will act firmly and transparently. We will not allow any officer to stain the uniform. Thanks to those who denounce on social media, we continue to build an honest Cancun where the law is applied equally. Impunity is over in my government!”
