Twenty vendors from the Infonavit Presidentes flea market marched to Tijuana’s City Hall on Tuesday to accuse a man they identified as Pedro Castillo of demanding up to 6,000 pesos (about $300 USD) per vendor to allow them to set up their stalls.
The vendors said Castillo arrives at the sobreruedas, a rolling street market, accompanied by more than ten armed young men. Those who refuse to pay have received death threats, according to the group’s testimony at City Hall on May 12.
Extortion Charges Double the Cost of Legal Permits
Tijuana’s municipal inspection office charges 3,000 pesos (roughly $150 USD) per year for an ambulant vendor permit. Castillo’s alleged demands are entirely separate from the city’s permitting system and double the official annual cost. Vendors say the payments buy nothing beyond the right to operate without being harassed.
Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz received the group and directed the newly appointed director of Inspection and Verification, Araceli Márquez Peña, to open a formal investigation. A follow-up meeting between vendors and city officials is scheduled for the coming days, though no specific date has been announced.
Vendors Cite 2022 Murder as Reason for Fear
The vendors referenced the 2022 killing of Eloida Mateos Gutiérrez, a flea market coordinator in the Maclovio Rojas neighborhood who was murdered after receiving similar extortion threats. That case has fueled fear among the Infonavit Presidentes vendors, who said they went public precisely because they worry about a repeat.
Castillo, according to vendors, presents himself as a community leader who distributes toys and food at public events. That public profile has complicated efforts to confront him, vendors said.
Extortion of street vendors and small businesses is a persistent problem in Tijuana. In 2024, Baja California’s Secretary of Public Safety reported receiving 26 formal extortion complaints from business owners in the city, though officials acknowledged that most victims are too afraid to file reports. Small businesses and sidewalk vendors in Tijuana have reported paying roughly $100 per week to criminal groups to remain in operation.
The Infonavit Presidentes neighborhood sits in southeastern Tijuana, far from the tourist corridors near the border. Sobreruedas operate on fixed schedules throughout the city’s residential colonias and serve as primary shopping destinations for working-class families.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte.