Mexico Seizes 3,374 Slot Machines Linked to Extortion and Criminal Recruitment

Mexican federal and state authorities have dismantled a criminal operation involving 3,374 slot machines used for extortion and recruiting young people. These illegal gambling devices were installed in local businesses, such as convenience stores, stationery shops, and pharmacies, under duress. The illicit profits funded drug dealing and irregular loan sharking activities.

The joint operation, conducted between July 11 and 20 by the Secretariat of National Defense, the National Guard, and the State of Mexico's Attorney General's Office, spanned 84 municipalities. Investigators discovered that the machines were not only a source of illegal income through extortion but also served as a recruitment tool for minors into criminal networks.

During the raids, authorities found a clandestine workshop in Tultitlán used for assembling and maintaining the machines. The seized slot machines, including pinball, cascade, button, and classic types, have an estimated commercial value exceeding 50.6 million pesos (approximately $2.9 million). The total financial impact on the alleged criminal groups is estimated to be over 59.8 million pesos (about $3.4 million).

The recovered money, exceeding nine tons of coins in various denominations, amounts to over 9 million pesos (around $517,000). This cash, along with the machines, will be subject to an asset forfeiture process, allowing the state to claim ownership of illicitly obtained assets for public spending.