Two groups of the "La Linea" cartel have been continuously extorting money from tourists at the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana. One of them, "Los Mostros", operates in the left lane, next to the medical pass lane, while "Los del Duty Free" operates in the right lane near the Sentri.

In an exhaustive investigation by the weekly Zeta they made clear that the criminal group is being covered up by the Tourist Police, and they continue to intimidate the population despite the operations of the municipal police.

Their way of operating is to board cars with American plates, especially those that look expensive, pose as authorities and tell the drivers that they are in the wrong lane, warning them that if they arrive at the booths with the U.S. immigration agents, they will have to pay a $5,000 fine or may even lose their documents, so they offer to save themselves from the problem for less.

Some confused travelers and tourists go so far as to pay between $30 and $500, the suspects have accompanied their victims to the ATMs.

The daily earnings of each group range from $500 to $1,700 a day.

The extortions are carried out in front of the Tourist Police who patrol the area. "They have orders from the bosses to let them work when there are no police operations", said witnesses.

Employees of the sentry box say that Felipe Gandara Rios, who until last August 11 was the head of the Tourist Police, received a weekly payment from the extortionists of approximately $1,500. The business also includes former supervisors Julio Coronado, Jose Mora, Jesus Solis and Gabriela Diaz. Even deputy chief Felipe Gonzalez was mentioned.

The problem dates back several years, and although there have been numerous operations against the "La Linea" cartel, the situation persists. The municipal police play "cat and mouse", because in their operations the criminals hide and then come out again.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in the meantime, most of them for administrative offences, but they have been released after 36 hours in prison, because "the thing is that asking for money, in itself, is not a crime," explained Baja California's central prosecutor, Hiram Sanchez, "violence and intimidation have to be proven".

Currently, the Municipal Police Intelligence Area is working on an organizational chart to identify the leaders of the extortion groups. The heads of the Tourist Police have been changed and citizens have been asked for support in making complaints.

With information from Zeta Tijuana