Speaking to World Watch Monitor, the anonymous pastor said that the problem is widespread throughout the Latin American country.
He said: "Charging this 'tax' to pastors and churches is now a common occurrence.
"The cartels are very well organised and they can follow your every move. One cannot go anywhere alone; protection is needed all the time.
"We are talking about places that are very close to the country's capital, which means that a problem that used to be typical of the northern cities bordering the United States is now becoming an issue for the rest of Mexico."
Mexico
Population: 122 million
Christian population: 120 million (82 per cent Catholic)
Mexico is ranked 41st on the Open Doors watch list for Christian persecution 2017
The country has a long history of anti-clericalism and in the past century the government officially and often violently suppressed church leaders
Dennis Petri, Latin America analyst for the charity Open Doors said most cases go unreported.
"According to government officials, only ten per cent of the cases are formally brought to court. Most of the people I interviewed indicated that this is a massive phenomenon affecting virtually all churches, while many others appear too afraid to speak about it.
"Church services are not allowed in certain areas and there are reports of churches that have been closed by order of drug cartels. Moreover, there are reports of individuals who are prohibited from attending church services, or have the obligation to report to the drug cartels whenever they visit a particular church."
Mexico is number 40 on Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution.
At least 32 Catholic priests have been murdered in Mexico since 2006.
Mexico's Catholic Media Centre says the country is the most dangerous in the world to be a priest.
The US State Department wrote in its 2015 International Religious Freedom report that priests in Mexico are "victims of extortion attempts, death threats, and intimidation by organised criminal groups."