Mexican cartel forces locals to pay for makeshift Wi-Fi under threat of death

🤖 I'm a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles: ::: spoiler Click here to see the summary Dubbed “narco-antennas” by local media, the cartel’s system involved internet antennas set up in various towns built with stolen equipment.

The group charged approximately 5,000 people elevated prices between between 400 and 500 pesos ($25 to $30) a month, the Michoacán state prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors declined to say which cartel was involved because the case was still under investigation, but they confirmed Los Viagras dominates the towns forced to make the Wi-Fi payments.

Mexican cartels have long employed a shadow network of radio towers and makeshift internet to communicate within criminal organizations and dodge authorities.

But the use of such towers to extort communities is part of a larger trend in the country, said Falko Ernst, Mexico analyst for Crisis Group.

Ernst said gangs in some areas are charging taxes on basic foods and imported products, and noted they have also infiltrated Michoacan’s lucrative avocado business and lime markets as well as parts of local mining industries.

Saved 59% of original text. :::

7 comments

Los Viagras? Seriously? That's the best cartel name they could come up with?
- They are standup people.
- They just want you to know they won't be going soft on you.
Hey nice to see that Charter finally provides some south of the border service!
This is an awful situation and I hope the people caught up in this make it out ok.
As respectfully as possible, I'm curious what the service and speeds are like for that price
🤖 I'm a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles: ::: spoiler Click here to see the summary Dubbed “narco-antennas” by local media, the cartel’s system involved internet antennas set up in various towns built with stolen equipment.
The group charged approximately 5,000 people elevated prices between between 400 and 500 pesos ($25 to $30) a month, the Michoacán state prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press.
Prosecutors declined to say which cartel was involved because the case was still under investigation, but they confirmed Los Viagras dominates the towns forced to make the Wi-Fi payments.
Mexican cartels have long employed a shadow network of radio towers and makeshift internet to communicate within criminal organizations and dodge authorities.
But the use of such towers to extort communities is part of a larger trend in the country, said Falko Ernst, Mexico analyst for Crisis Group.
Ernst said gangs in some areas are charging taxes on basic foods and imported products, and noted they have also infiltrated Michoacan’s lucrative avocado business and lime markets as well as parts of local mining industries.
Saved 59% of original text. :::
the more interesting bit: mexican cartels have their own (probably tiny) physical networking