Tulum, Q.R. — At least one Tulum police officer has been suspended during an investigation after he was videoed extorting money from a tourist. On Wednesday night, the unidentified police officer was captured on a phone camera extorting a French tourist.
According to Óscar Aparicio Avendaño, director of Tulum Public Security, after the release of the video on social media, the officer was separated from his position, and the case, turned over to Internal Affairs.
In a video of his own, the head of Tulum Public Security explained that the officer was captured on video extorting money from a French national tourist after he was pulled over for speeding.
Holding his driver’s license as ransom, the man went to a nearby ATM where he withdrew cash to pay for the return of his license. However, upon returning to hand over the money to the waiting officer(s), a third person captured the moment on video showing, at the last moment, the officer handing back the license then leaving.
The Tulum Director of Public Security, Óscar Aparicio Avendaño, said the officer’s case has been transferred to Internal Affairs.
“There are videos circulating in which corrupt police officers carry out improper acts,” he said in his video adding that while there are more good officers than bad, the bad officers lacerate the corporation.
“We are going to proceed,” he said stressing that Tulum mayor Marciano Dzul Caamul has a zero tolerance policy for corruption.
