México state authorities and federal agencies this week arrested 102 individuals and seized 67 properties that were operating as fraudulent call centers while carrying out extortion, fraud, data theft and drug trafficking.
The massive bust, part of the National Strategy Against Extortion, was the result of a month-long sting operation carried out by state, local and federal authorities.
🚨 El “Operativo Desconexión” logra desmantelar una red de fraude y extorsión. 🇲🇽 🚫 Fueron 197 inmuebles asegurados. Hay 107 detenidos, entre ellos 77 personas de nacionalidad extranjera implicadas en esquemas de préstamos “gota a gota” y extorsión telefónica. 🛡️ David Galván… pic.twitter.com/z3QTOXPriz
— Grupo Fórmula (@Radio_Formula) April 2, 2026
In addition to the 67 properties operating as call centers, five loan companies, 14 drug sales points and 106 other illicit businesses were seized or shut down.
Of the 102 people apprehended, 77 are foreigners. Fifty have been formally charged and remanded to custody. They include 22 Mexicans, 20 Colombians, six Venezuelans and two Cubans.
In a statement on social media, the state Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) said that the operation, dubbed Operation Disconnection, “lasted 46 days with the objective of combating and inhibiting ‘indirect extortion’ — committed through telephone calls, text messages, web pages and other messaging applications.”
The sting also disrupted abusive loan schemes that utilize those platforms.
The FGJ expressed gratitude for the cooperation of the Defense, Navy and Security Ministries, the National Guard, the National Migration Institute (INM) and the National Intelligence Center (CNI), as well as state police officials
The investigation discovered that financial institutions were being impersonated through mass calls and cloned websites from call centers primarily located in the municipalities of Ecatepec, Naucalpan and Nezahualcóyotl, all three within the greater Mexico City metropolitan area.
Operators relied on detailed scripts in communicating with their targets to generate false alarms about bank transactions, offer non-existent prizes or simulate parcel deliveries to obtain transfers or confidential data from the victims.
As part of the scheme, unregistered lending centers granted loans in cash or in kind (e.g., offering appliances and cell phones) with unclear contracts and interest rates far higher than permitted by law.
When debtors failed to pay, thugs would go to homes or workplaces to intimidate their targets, physically assaulting them at times.
Additionally, the FJG said, drug sales and black money transfers served to diversify income, launder funds and obtain personal data that were later used in new extortions or identity theft. The network was also linked to express kidnapping and human trafficking.
The National Strategy Against Extortion was launched in July 2025 to address criminal activity that had spiked more than 80% in a decade.
The strategy includes a dedicated phone line (dial 089) to report extortions.
With reports from El Universal, Imagen Noticias and El Financiero
