Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Foiled by efforts to stop hijacking, toll plaza thieves grab the cash instead

While toll plazas in many Mexican states have been repeatedly hijacked by more or less peaceful groups of people collecting “voluntary tolls” from drivers, a violent robbery of a plaza in Morelos early Monday suggests that criminals may be upping their game in response to increased security measures against the takeovers.

An armed gang of about 10 people attacked employees on duty at the Tepoztlán toll plaza, tied them up and stole 150,000 pesos (US $7,500) in cash from the toll booths and vault, as well as electronic equipment and cell phones.

By the time the National Guard arrived, the thieves had fled. The toll plaza employees were taken to a hospital in Cuernavaca and treated for injuries.

Employees union leader Martín Curiel told the newspaper Reforma that the plaza has been targeted for takeovers several times but never with such violence. He attributed the nature of the robbery to would-be hijackers changing their tactics.

“In my view, this You are not allowed to view this event. stems from … the battle by the National Guard and the federal roads and bridges administration [Capufe] against the [toll plaza] takeovers,” he said. “This toll plaza was constantly being taken over, but now it’s been several weeks since they’ve dared to. Now, direct robbery is the strategy …”

Curiel said his union is worried about its members’ safety and has sent formal letters to Capufe, demanding information about what measures the government is taking to avoid more such robberies.

The National Guard were put in charge of guarding the plazas in early November. In some cases, people taking over the plazas were being paid to do so by organized crime. Also in October, Morelos Senator Lucy Meza announced that she would present a petition in the upper house of Congress urging the federal government to clear toll plazas of illegal occupiers.

At the time, Meza said she was handing over at least 300 pesos per week to toll plaza hijackers while traveling between Cuernavaca and Mexico City.

Source: Reforma (sp)

CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly put the toll plaza in Tepotzotlán, México state.

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Bernardo Bravo

Suspect arrested in connection with murder of Michoacán lime growers’ leader

0
Bernardo Bravo, the leader of the Apatzingán Citrus Growers Association (ACVA), had been organizing lime growers to resist an extortion gang named “Los Blancos de Troya" before he was assassinated on Monday.
A person doing grocery shopping at a market in Mexico

Mexican economy contracts 0.6% in September, capping weak Q3

0
An annual economic contraction in the third quarter of 2025 — as appears inevitable — would be the Mexican economy's first year-over-year decline for any quarter since Q1 of 2021.
A Pacific harbor seal

Pacific harbor seals vanishing from Baja California waters, study finds

0
A study led by the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE) observed a 61.2% population decline on the Baja California Peninsula from 2016 to 2022.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity