Criminals are extorting money from taxi drivers in Mexico’s Cancun, as they have done in Acapulco

Criminal gangs are trying to extort ‘protection’ payments from taxi drivers in Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort of Cancun. It is a problem that has long beset the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, where killings of drivers and torching of taxis has become commonplace. On Monday, prosecutors detained five men who had been demanding about $12 per week from 200 drivers to allow them to work. High taxi fares have long been a subject of debate in Cancun, but the resort had previously faced another, more pressing problem. In 2023, there were a number of violent confrontations between medallion taxi drivers and people working for ride-hailing apps.