• LATEST Mexican authorities probe allegations of extortion from organized crime groups as well as the role of Veracruz state police to understand the motive local nightclub in the coastal city of Coatzacoalcos (pop. 319k) that has left at least 29 dead, according to military and State officials.
• EXTORTION According to military officials, the owner of the “Caballo Blanco” nightclub allegedly refused to pay protection money to a local criminal group while at the same time allowing the sale of cocaine and crystal meth by a different criminal organization in its premises.
• ROLE OF POLICE Per authorities, Mexican officials are investigating the role of a Veracruz state police in the forced disappearance of the nightclub’s owner last week; witnesses claim that the owner was last seen while he was detained by a State police car on Saturday.
• PREVIOUSLY Allegations of collusion between State police forces and criminals in Veracruz is not unheard. In March 2019, the US Department of State reported that in February 2018 an estimated 31 former high-ranking state officials were ordered apprehended on charges of forced disappearance.
