Organized crime in Michoacán has taken another step in its logic of social control. Los Viagras, a criminal arm that emerged from the self-defense groups, not only extort, but now also offer clandestine internet. This group sabotaged the infrastructure of companies such as Telmex and charges 400 to 500 pesos (approximately $23 to $29) per month for the illegal service.
Dozens of municipalities, including Uruapan and Apatzingán, suffered boycotts against fiber optic lines at the end of 2023. In those communities, residents had to approach points controlled by the criminals to obtain Wi-Fi. If they did not pay, they received direct threats.
Grupos criminales combaten en Michoacán.
Organized crime monopolizes basic services
This phenomenon is an extension of the "derecho de piso" that terrorist cartels have imposed throughout Mexico. In Michoacán, they already charge fees for shade, cell towers, and now for internet. The State remains absent.
The Michoacán Prosecutor's Office reports more than 11 complaints of theft and damage to infrastructure, with losses close to 500,000 pesos (approximately $29,000) for Telmex. Subsequently, authorities seized antennas, modems, and repeaters in houses controlled by Los Viagras, from where they operated their clandestine networks.
Captura de miembros de cárteles
Morena government allows the narco to control rural connectivity
The proliferation of these illegal services reflects the failure of the Mexican State to guarantee basic services. Telmex and other companies can't maintain secure networks when crime acts with impunity. The population pays these "fees" as if they were a parallel tax.
This phenomenon exposes the collapse of the security strategy promoted by Morena governments. The lack of State presence in rural areas, together with the absence of investment in infrastructure, allows the narco to take over even the internet.
Testimonies confirm that entire communities were forced to contract the "narco Wi-Fi" under death threats. This criminal operation caused revenues of up to 2.5 million pesos (approximately $146,000) per month, consolidating a lucrative criminal business.
Elementos de la Guardia Nacional en Michoacán.
Solution or simulation?
The seizure of equipment by the Prosecutor's Office is insufficient. Reactive actions do not reverse institutional abandonment. The federal government must regain control of strategic services, from internet to energy and water. It can't continue to allow organized crime to manage basic services.
This new narco-tax hits the local economy even harder. It undermines the right to information, justice, and human dignity.
Mexico needs to recover its territory, but it must also take back from crime its antennas, its fees, and its control over basic services. Otherwise, it is allowing the cartels not only to spill blood, but also to disconnect hope.
