Alleged members of the CDN phone journalists from NL to charge them "fees"

Throw Away Borderland Beat from Proceso

MONTERREY, NL.- At least a dozen local journalists received calls from alleged members of the Northeast Cartel (CDN) -the former Zetas- to demand payment in exchange for not harming their families, threats that were made with accurate data such as addresses and media in which they work.

"They called me at a private phone number twice. Almost nobody has that number," commented one of the affected journalists who spoke with Apro , under the condition that his name be kept anonymous.

The journalist, who specializes in digital media, noted that he met other colleagues in the online press who were also called by the same method.

"I came to think that it was a common extortion call, which happen daily to families in Mexico ... But my surprise came when talking to colleagues I learned that they had received a similar call"

"They called me ... they wanted 500 thousand pesos," another communicator said.

Some of those affected are managers of digital media, and others are legal representatives or act as owners of news companies.

The threats to the Nuevo León media are coupled with an upsurge in violence throughout the northeast, which has led to an increase in violent crime statistics.

A second journalist who received threats described the call: A man who identifies himself as a member of the Northeast Cartel demands "cooperation."

"In exchange for cooperation, he offers to not bother you or mess with your family," added the reporter who collaborates with electronic media.

He said that to reinforce the threat, the offender mentioned the address in he was at in that moment.

He said that the call is from an out-of-state mobile phone and the number was given to the authorities.

Other extortion calls were made public by the local news sinpelos.mx , where nine journalists counted the threats they received on their mobile phones.

"Members of organized crime claim to have all the personal information of the communicator and their families, and then request the payment of monthly fees in exchange for allowing them to carry out their work," says journalist Víctor Badillo.

The violence also manifested itself against reporters and local media in Tamaulipas.

The most important threat was suffered by the Expreso newspaper, in Ciudad Victoria, at the end of last December, when criminals from a criminal group abandoned a cooler with a human head at the entrance of the newspaper and a "narcomensaje" on the side.

“For newspapers allied with million (dollar) agreements with (Gov. Francisco Garcia) Cabeza de Vaca, they are not going to save you and here is the proof.” the message said

The attack caused some five journalists to enter the program for the Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders of the Ministry of the Interior.