The civil association Mexico Evalúa presented an Annual Report on Violence and Pacification in Mexico, highlighting that extortion has consolidated as one of the main sources of funding for organized crime groups in the country. This crime affects businesses in various sectors and is increasingly spreading across the national territory. According to the report, six entities such as Guanajuato, Morelos, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, and Veracruz have a very negative balance regarding extortion, while in entities such as Jalisco, Guerrero, CDMX, Michoacán, and Tabasco, it is expected that the situation will worsen in the short term. The study emphasizes that the problem is more severe in regions with the presence of criminal groups and significant business development.
Regarding kidnapping, Mexico Evalúa indicated that this crime is not only used to extract resources from the population but also as a strategy to eliminate competitors, without being reflected in homicide data. Six entities such as Chiapas, Chihuahua, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, and Tlaxcala have a negative balance in kidnappings, and in another four like Hidalgo, Zacatecas, State of Mexico, and Colima, the situation could worsen in the short term. The report highlights that kidnappings tend to flourish in states with established criminal hegemony.
The figures used in the report come from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System and reflect criminal incidence based on investigations initiated by state prosecutors and attorneys. Mexico Evalúa emphasized that this data provides an imperfect picture of crime due to the high percentage of unreported crimes. Moreover, in the section on drug dealing, it mentioned that seven entities face a serious situation in this regard.
The organization pointed out that drug dealing has regained relevance in recent years due to the diversification of the drug market, becoming an important indicator of the presence and conflicts of organized crime in local areas. This activity remains a primary source of funding for criminal groups. Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, and Sonora are the entities facing a serious situation in drug dealing. Meanwhile, it is estimated that in five more entities the situation could worsen in the short term.
