Tijuana municipal police arrested a 41-year-old man named Francisco on March 17 in connection with arson attacks on two well-known businesses: Mariscos Colima restaurant in Playas de Tijuana and Bar Cavally in the Zona Río district. Both fires, set in January 2026, were part of extortion schemes targeting the establishments’ owners.
Suspect Had Criminal Record and Carried Heroin
Francisco has prior convictions for armed robbery, possession of stolen vehicles, and firearm violations. At the time of his arrest, officers found 30 packets of heroin on his person. Police have not yet disclosed whether he acted alone or on orders from an organized crime group.
The two targeted businesses sit in areas heavily frequented by visitors from San Diego. Mariscos Colima, a seafood restaurant on the Playas de Tijuana coastline about 15 minutes south of the San Ysidro border crossing, and Bar Cavally in Zona Río, the commercial corridor along Boulevard Paseo de los Héroes, are both popular dining and nightlife spots.
Bar Cavally Linked to U.S. Treasury Sanctions
The Bar Cavally case carries a layer of international complexity. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) listed Bar Cavally among 13 businesses allegedly used to launder money for the “Los Mayos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. That designation also named Araceli Brown, a former mayor of Playas de Rosarito who currently serves as a Morena party state deputy in the Baja California legislature.
The OFAC listing means U.S. persons are prohibited from conducting transactions with the sanctioned businesses. Any American who patronizes or does business with an OFAC-designated entity risks federal penalties, though enforcement against individual restaurant patrons is rare.
Extortion of restaurants, bars, and small businesses has been a persistent problem across Tijuana. Arson is a common enforcement tool: business owners who refuse to pay “protection” fees face escalating threats, from broken windows to fire. The February 2026 wave of vehicle burnings across Baja California following a cartel leader’s death added to the sense of vulnerability among business owners in the city.
Francisco now faces state charges for arson and drug possession. Prosecutors have not announced whether additional suspects are being sought in either fire. The investigation remains open, according to Punto Norte.