Hundreds of barbers and beauty salon workers from México state took to the streets of Mexico City on Monday to protest against what they call abuses committed during Operation Atarraya, a large-scale anti-crime raid carried out Friday.
The demonstrators, who marched from the Monument to the Revolution to the National Palace, are demanding justice and the reopening of over 300 barbershops and beauty salons shut down by authorities.
#OperaciónAtarraya. Este viernes 7 de febrero, la #FiscalíaEdoméx en coordinación con el #GabineteDeSeguridad del @GobiernoMX y el @Edomex a través de la @SS_Edomex, desplegaron acciones operativas simultáneas en 20 municipios del #EdoMéx en las que aseguraron 312… pic.twitter.com/pAg0OWC6Oa
— Fiscalía Edoméx (@FiscaliaEdomex) February 8, 2025
Protesters allege that agents from the prosecutor’s office of México state (FGJEM) planted drugs in their establishments to justify the closures.
Executed on Feb. 7, Operación Atarraya (atarraya means a cast net) was aimed at dismantling criminal networks that allegedly used barbershops and beauty salons as fronts for drug trafficking, extortion and other illicit activities.
According to the FGJEM, more than 2,200 federal and state security agents raided 404 establishments across 20 municipalities, closing 312 of them. The municipalities included Ecatepec (population 1.6 million), Nezahualcóyotl (1.1 million) and Naucalpan (834,000).
Officials claim the operation was based on intelligence, citizen complaints and field investigations, with 84 court-approved search warrants executed.
However, controversy erupted when videos surfaced on social media appearing to show agents planting illicit substances in some of the targeted businesses.
These allegations fueled public outrage, leading barbers in Ecatepec to block the Morelos Highway in protest Monday. While that blockade was lifted mid-morning, traffic congestion persisted for hours.
Authorities maintain that many of the closed businesses were linked to organized crime.
Citing a constant flow of complaints from residents and community organizations, officials said they have evidence indicating that a significant percentage of barbershops in high-crime areas were used for illegal activities, including extortion and the sale of drugs and alcohol, even to minors.
Reports, officials said, suggest that some establishments served as meeting points for criminal cells and were connected to violent incidents, including homicides.
In response to mounting accusations, FGJEM announced an internal investigation into possible misconduct by its agents. Officials have acknowledged the existence of at least three cases where irregularities were detected and have urged citizens to report any abuses to (800) 702-8770 or cerotolerancia@fiscaliaedomex.gob.mx.
Operation Atarraya dates back to December, when 186 bars and beer joints in 27 México state municipalities were shut down by federal and state authorities.
The operation aims to intervene in establishments used by criminal groups for the promotion, consumption or trafficking of illicit substances, as well as for activities related to the commission of other criminal acts.
With reports from N+, El Universal, El Financiero and Animal Político
