ECATEPEC — Standing behind their counters, shielded by metal grilles to prevent attacks, merchants in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec watch anxiously as gangs that hold them to ransom roam the streets outside.

Across Latin America, extortion is throttling local economies and authorities in Mexico, where every hour someone is shaken down by a criminal gang, are on the warpath against it.

In Ecatepec, bakers, mechanics, and street vendors told AFP they pay fees to gangs to not attack them—and to protect them from rival criminal outfits.

The extortion thrives on a climate of near-total impunity, with gangs openly promoting their “protection” services in shop windows and on social media.

Next to a market, a poster advertises the services of La Chokiza, a gang accused by authorities of extortion and murder.

“Join our big family,” the poster says.

“We’ll protect you from extortion,” it adds, listing its services, including “legal advice”—a euphemism for the protection rackets they claim to defend against.

La Chokiza also promotes itself on Facebook, with a cartoon of Jesus Christ on a motorcycle as its logo.

In Ecatepec’s market, gangs with such innocuous names as Peaceful Civil Resistance brand their territory by getting their “customers” to display stickers on their stalls.

“They’re supposed to protect you in exchange for a certain sum,” a 53-year-old vendor told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.