A network of Colombians makes illegal raffles: there has never been a winner

Established and itinerant traders in the historic center of the city from Mexico participate in weekly draws organized by a organization called "Inversiones el amigazo".

To say people involved, the draws are organized by people of Colombian origin who employ local youth to visit institutions and sell tickets with series of numbers.

Each ticket has a price of 20 pesos and a higher price ranging from 30 to 60 000 pesos is put into play, the lottery is made in raffles in a different place every week, after the same ticket holders have walked the streets and announced the winner in a megaphone.

To say merchants of stationery items in the street Mesones, The draw under this category began last year but has been extended and although more and more participants are not aware of any winners.

Ticket holders are identified with yellow shirtsthey are content to approach the sellers and, without saying a word, they hand over the coupons and receive the money, according to the

traders Until now, the purchase of tickets is voluntary although they fear that in the future, when no one wants to buy, they use violent methods.

According to the General Directorate of Gaming and Drawings of the Ministry of the Interior, this type of draw, in all its modalities, they require a permit which, of course, does not exist "Inversiones el amigazo"

The organization has its offices in Talavera Mall, located in the street of the same name (famous for the sale of clothes and accessories in Niño Dios during the celebration of La Candelaria and for the sale of beauty products) to the historic center, it contracts the holders of notes who receive five pesos of commission for each ticket sold and which do not benefit from the right.

On the first floor of the square, there are premises open to customers who come; however, on the second floor, the premises are closed, only one offers the toilet service, in front of it is an office to rent.

The placego like a meeting point for sellers andeither before going out selling the tickets in the morning or announcing the winners in the afternoon.

To say one of the boleteros sells on average 50 tickets per day and receives a daily floor of 250 pesos plus commissions He declined to say, he did not know the number of employees in the organization, although he ensures that there are more and more.

The boleteros are divided into zones: Tepito, Plaza Peña and Peña, Alhóndiga, Correo Mayor and La Merced, where the draw has been extended.

investments L & # 39; amigazo has a Facebook account called "An entire family" where they publish their daily activities since 2016, in addition to meetings, parties and photographs in which young people gathered in the same offices of Talaverain some, the phrase appears: "Colombia I love you".

A street vendor of Mexican snacks is difficult to sell or operate in the historic center. ensure that the ticket holders are only one of the daily "quotas" that they must respect, in addition to the 220 pesos a day to be paid to the merchant leaders for the space of sale, as well as a monthly fee ranging from three to 10 thousand pesos.

He also explains that Colombians have diversified into other "activities" such as the sale of prestige clothing and footwear, explains that they go to companies to offer products in installments but that, if the payment is delayed, they charge high interest.

"Once a big Colombian arrived, he hit a pair of shoes on a bench, he asked me if I did not want to, I did not accept but my employees have fallen out of fear or desire to have the products and now they can no longer get rid of them ", he affirmed.

Explains that in central Mexico, "moves a lot of money", which is why criminal organizations take the opportunity to extort money, collect a floor, collect protection and do business like this. only raffles and express loans.

Fraud and extortion, increasing crime

So far this year, they have registered 10 denunciations of extortion in the Colonia Centro de Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc, place of the draw, while in 2018 only one case was recorded.

According to the National Traffic Light, the black figure for this crime, bribes that are not reported for reasons of fear, mistrust and other reasons, is 83%.

Meanwhile, during In January and February of this year, the crime of fraud is the one that has had the most impact with 581 research filesThe Office of the Attorney General of Mexico to the Mayor of Cuauhtémoc, representing an advance of 22% over the same period of the previous year.

The Colonia Centro is the second in which these crimes are reported, only after the Colonia Doctores.

Also Colombian, responsible for the "drip"

According to the Government of Mexico, thea band of Colombian loan sharks operating in the historic center of Mexico City and the surrounding neighborhoods according to the "drip" system has more earnings 100 million pesos a week with a presence in 22 states of the country.

This is the diet known as "Drop by Drop", which is responsible for offering term loans of between 2,000 and 60,000 pesos to small traders from different cities.

Criminals visit merchants daily to collect the loan and late high interest and when they can not pay are threatened, stolen and even beaten.

The capital government conducted an investigation that located a digital application used by criminals to control the names of debtors, their payments and their addresses.

On January 16, Claudia Sheinbaum, head of the government of Mexico City, spoke for the first time of the band after receiving various complaints from citizens. for the 26th of the same month, a campaign against this type of extortion was announced to invite citizens to denounce it.