Agents from the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) arrested two men accused of belonging to a criminal cell that extorted workers and dancers from the Hong Kong nightclub in Tijuana.
The suspects, identified as Iván and Carlos, were arrested on Monday, September 28, during simultaneous operations carried out by the Investigative Police in the Linda Vista and Murua neighborhoods. According to investigations by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation and Prosecution of Extortion Crimes, both men obtained confidential information about the victims through contacts linked to the establishment in order to intimidate them later.
Iván, who worked as a driver for the ride-hailing platform DiDi and provided transportation services to the women, used his position to gather data on their routines and home addresses. Meanwhile, Carlos combined this illicit activity with running a stall at a street market. Both men demanded weekly payments of up to $1,200 in exchange for “protection” and a guarantee that they would not harm the women or their families, falsely claiming to be members of the Arellano Félix Cartel (CAF).
The investigation file documents that one of the victims began receiving threats via WhatsApp in July; the perpetrators sent her photographs of her home, details about her family, and the location of vehicles stationed outside her property to coerce her into making an initial $1,200 extortion payment, followed by subsequent installments of 8,000 pesos. Forensic analysis of the victim’s phone and data from the ride-hailing platform provided the evidence needed to support the arrest warrants. A supervisory judge ordered the precautionary measure of pretrial detention for both individuals on charges of aggravated extortion, pending a ruling on their formal indictment at the supplementary hearing.
