Isla Mujeres, Q.R. — A suspect with an outstanding Quintana Roo warrant for extortion has been captured in Hidalgo. The man, identified by local authorities as Rafael “N”, a former Isla Mujeres police officer, was arrested Tuesday.
Rafael “N” was taken into custody in collaboration with the FGE in the state of Hidalgo where investigative police executed an arrest warrant. The warrant was issued against Rafael “N” “for acts possibly constituting the crime of extortion committed against a water services company in the Costa Mujeres beach area, in the municipality of Isla Mujeres,” authorities reported Wednesday.
Rafael “N” is accused of demanding $1,000 USD per week from a water service company located in the beach area of Costa Mujeres. The extortion payments started in 2020 and continued now.
Authorities say the former Isla Mujeres police officer resigned from his position in February of 2024 at which time he organized a group of people responsible for collecting the weekly extortion payments. If payments were refused, his people threatened and physically assaulted the company’s employees.
“Initial investigations indicate that starting in 2020, the aggrieved company began to fall victim to alleged extortion by members of a criminal group responsible for violence on the mainland of Isla Mujeres.
“Through intimidation and the use of firearms, they forced the company’s managers to make a weekly payment of approximately $1,000 USD. Following a report of the incident, police conducted a field, office and technological investigation, leading to the location and arrest of Rafael “N,” alias “Comander,” in the state of Hidalgo.
“Rafael “N,” a former municipal police officer in Isla Mujeres, resigned from his post in February 2024. He subsequently allegedly organized a group of individuals responsible for collecting weekly extortion payments. The individuals refused to make payments, threatened them, and beat business employees.
“Rafael “N” is implicated in three investigation files for alleged extortion incidents that occurred in the Costa Mujeres area. “Following his capture, he was transferred to Quintana Roo and placed at the disposal of the judicial authority to continue the judicial proceedings initiated against him,” the State Attorney General said in a statement.
