Overview
- The store owner reported red Chinese‑language graffiti on his shutter in Mar del Plata, discovered Thursday, April 23, which he took as a death threat meant to stop his opening or force protection payments.
- DDI investigators reviewed nearby cameras and tied a black Toyota Hilux SW4 to two suspects identified as Ni Fei, 38, and Liao Deping, 36.
- A court‑ordered search at a supermarket on Cerrito around six blocks away led to Ni Fei’s detention and to Deping being notified of a coercion case.
- Police seized about 184 million pesos in cash, two 9mm pistols without paperwork, mobile phones, clothing linked to the act, and the Toyota SUV; Ni Fei was later moved to Unit 44 in Batán on charges of coercion and illegal gun possession.
- Inspectors shut the Cerrito store after finding structural flaws and electrical hazards, migration officers checked documents, and reporters noted a dispute over the graffiti’s exact translation and an unwritten 500‑meter non‑compete custom rather than a formal local mafia.