Nine Tulum Municipal Workers Fired After Alleged Corruption in Civil Protection and Tax Units

Tulum's municipal government dismissed nine public workers this week after they were detected in alleged acts of corruption, the latest Tulum corruption case to reach the administration of Mayor Diego Castañón Trejo. Two came from Civil Protection and seven from the tax enforcement office.

Castañón Trejo announced the immediate removals through a video posted to his official social media accounts. The decision matters now because it follows months of public complaints from residents and business owners about extortion and abuse by municipal staff, and because the city has not said whether the cases will move to administrative or criminal proceedings.

Two Civil Protection officers and seven tax inspectors removed

The measure affects two operational members of the Dirección General de Protección Civil y Bomberos and seven employees of the Dirección de Fiscalización, the office responsible for municipal inspections and tax enforcement. All nine were separated from their posts after what the city described as confirmation of their participation in improper conduct.

In the video, the mayor appeared alongside Juan Manuel Castilla, director general of Civil Protection and Fire, and Sergio Canto, director general of Fiscalización. "We are here to serve with honesty and protect citizens, not to take advantage of the position," Castañón Trejo said, adding that his administration would not allow conduct that breaks public trust.

What the two directors told residents

Castilla said the Civil Protection members involved did not belong to the inspection area but to the operational unit, and stated that the department would not shield any worker who stains the institution. Canto urged residents to report any irregularity committed by municipal public servants, saying complaints would be handled seriously.

Neither director described the specific nature of the alleged acts. The administration framed the dismissals as part of a stated policy of zero tolerance toward corruption.

A business-extortion video that preceded one dismissal

One case became public separately. A video circulated on social media presenting an alleged abuse of authority by Rubén Alvarado, who worked as operational staff in Civil Protection. According to the account that accompanied the video, Alvarado went to a business to demand undue benefits and threatened the owners with shutting down the establishment if they did not comply.

After the case became public, the authorities formally moved to remove Alvarado from his duties, adding him to the workers separated from their posts. The allegation against him has not been tested before any court or administrative body, and no charges have been confirmed.

What the city has not disclosed

The municipal authorities did not specify what each worker is accused of doing, and they did not say whether the files were referred to the competent bodies to open administrative or criminal procedures. That gap leaves open whether the dismissals will carry consequences beyond the loss of employment.

A pattern of corruption complaints in Tulum

The firings land amid sustained pressure on the administration. On June 23, the mayor said two Fiscalización inspectors had been dismissed for extortion and signaled that the review would extend to municipal traffic officers, an area that he acknowledged continues to draw complaints. Days earlier, a citizen collective calling itself Tulum Unido began gathering signatures to demand a more transparent and efficient local government, citing complaints over permit costs, response times, and alleged abuse of authority.

Whether this round of dismissals slows that criticism will depend on what the city does next. The unanswered question is whether any of the nine cases reach a prosecutor, or whether the matter ends at the door of the municipal payroll.

Should the city be required to disclose what each dismissed worker is accused of, and whether the cases go to a prosecutor? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.