In recent years, an increase in extortion has added to the accumulation of social problems. It is a criminal offense classified in Art. 185 of the Comprehensive Criminal Code on Organic Criminal Offenses as an offense that forces another person, through violence or intimidation, to carry out an action or work to the detriment of his property or the property of a third party.

Extortion is often combined with kidnapping to demand large amounts of money, and the victims are people who can pay expensive ransoms. But lately, criminals have been abusing small owners, people who are not rich, traders who had to close their businesses in order not to be victims of large-scale attacks. The press also reports on students extorting their teachers to get good grades they don’t deserve. They are unprecedented figures of violence against teachers who deserve the utmost respect, because that’s what they are.

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These are criminal organizations, as they appear to operate under the orders and under the protection of gang leaders created to live off the labor of their victims. They may have protection from judges and authorities who defend and protect them.

In some parts of the country, people are united and fighting for themselves. We have seen several lynchings because violent actions are responded to in the same way. The public force cannot be everywhere and they often arrive and rescue criminals caught by the people. The reactions are visible. Neighborhoods fence off their spaces with iron gates, control the entry of unknown third parties, but they cannot prevent the streets and business premises from suffering from crime.

Sentenced to death?

The general cry is for safety. The police, the government must act immediately, ex officio, without waiting for complaints that people do not file because they are afraid. Judges must be sensitive and apply severe punishments to guilty vaccinators. Military or police intelligence must investigate where the business bosses are and apply punishments appropriate to the intellectual perpetrators of the crime. Do they still have cell phones in the penitentiary? Is it possible that the criminal organization is still intact and that the deceased drug dealer whose phone numbers can be traced to his organization that bought individuals who have judicial immunity continues with other bosses?

I don’t think we can celebrate the victory. The prosecutor still has a lot of work to do and her integrity will be needed for many years to come. The logic of the situation tells us that criminal structures are everywhere in the world because the main drug deals are global.

The people, the neighborhood, good people must, we must unite for justice to work. We shouldn’t do it alone because we’d fall into the very thing we’re trying to avoid: crime. But judges must show us that we can trust them, and legislators must review constitutional guarantees so that they are not abused. Let us know the names of the criminals, let them be ashamed to see their faces in the media. To reduce the age of semi-impunity for young criminals. Let us live in peace. (OR)