The Tijuana Business Coordinating Council (CCSP) has activated a dedicated email address for merchants to report extortion and protection payment demands from criminal groups. The address, tudenunciabc@gmail.com, was set up in coordination with the National Guard and the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
The initiative gives business owners a channel to document threats without walking into a government office or making a phone call, both of which many consider too risky. Reports sent to the email go directly to law enforcement for follow-up.
A Persistent Problem for Tijuana Merchants
Extortion, known locally as “cobro de piso,” has plagued Tijuana’s commercial sector for years. Cartel-linked groups routinely demand weekly payments from shop owners, restaurant operators, pharmacies, and even sidewalk vendors. Those who refuse face threats of violence or vandalism.
In 2024, Baja California’s Secretary of Public Safety received 26 formal extortion complaints from Tijuana business owners, though officials acknowledged that the real number is far higher. Fear of retaliation keeps most victims silent. In 2023, Tijuana police statistics showed four small businesses were robbed daily during the first quarter of that year alone.
As many as 300 businesses in Tijuana filed extortion complaints over the past year, according to the city’s Chamber of Commerce. At least 10 small businesses shut down entirely in 2024 because they could not afford the payments, which reportedly average around $100 (roughly 1,700 pesos) per week.
Previous Reporting Tools Drew Criticism
The email hotline is not the first attempt to create a safe reporting mechanism. An anonymous phone line, 089, has been available since 2024 for people to report extortion and other crimes. But Tijuana’s Chamber of Commerce has criticized the line, saying calls rarely lead to investigations or convictions.
In September 2025, Tijuana police announced they had dismantled 11 extortionist gangs and arrested 37 suspects across Tijuana, Ensenada, and Rosarito in a sting operation. Then-Secretary of Public Security Laureano Carrillo Rodríguez said the suspects had been threatening business owners with violence if they did not pay monthly fees.
The CCSP’s involvement in the new email initiative represents organized private-sector pressure on authorities to take reported cases seriously. Whether the FGE will act on emailed tips more aggressively than it has on 089 calls remains an open question.
Business owners who receive extortion demands can send documentation to tudenunciabc@gmail.com. The story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.