In the last quar­ter, the secu­rity situa­tion in Mexi­co has shown con­cer­ning trends rela­ted to orga­ni­zed cri­me. Below is a sum­mary of the most sig­ni­fi­cant deve­lop­ments:

1. Increase in Homicides in Chiapas

Chia­pas has expe­rien­ced a sig­ni­fi­cant increa­se in homi­ci­des, with a 52% rise in the first quar­ter of 2024. Com­pe­ti­tion for con­trol of traf­fic­king rou­tes and migra­tory pres­su­re have exa­cer­ba­ted vio­len­ce in the region. Autho­ri­ties have res­pon­ded by deplo­ying over a thou­sand Army and Natio­nal Guard troops to try to con­trol the situa­tion (info­bae).

2. Perception of Insecurity

Natio­nally, the per­cep­tion of inse­cu­rity among the popu­la­tion increa­sed to 61% in the first quar­ter of 2024, des­pi­te a slight decrea­se in homi­ci­des. Cities with the highest per­cep­tion of inse­cu­rity inclu­de Fres­ni­llo, Nau­cal­pan, and Zaca­te­cas. This per­cep­tion is influen­ced by the pre­va­len­ce of cri­mes such as theft, drug use, and gang pre­sen­ce (Dia­rio de Méxi­co).

3. Impact on Electoral Processes

Orga­ni­zed cri­me con­ti­nues to sig­ni­fi­cantly influen­ce elec­to­ral pro­ces­ses, con­tro­lling can­di­da­te selec­tion and poli­ti­cal cam­paigns in some regions. This con­trol has been par­ti­cu­larly evi­dent in muni­ci­pal elec­tions, whe­re cri­mi­nal groups seek to main­tain or expand their terri­to­rial power (Ani­mal Poli­ti­co) (Ani­mal Poli­ti­co).

4. Economic Effects

Orga­ni­zed cri­me also has a subs­tan­tial impact on the Mexi­can eco­nomy, with acti­vi­ties such as extor­tion and theft nega­ti­vely affec­ting busi­nes­ses. It is esti­ma­ted that the­se cri­mi­nal acti­vi­ties cost the Mexi­can busi­ness sec­tor appro­xi­ma­tely $6.8 billion annually (info­bae).

5. Government Response

The fede­ral govern­ment has inten­si­fied its efforts to com­bat orga­ni­zed cri­me, deplo­ying addi­tio­nal secu­rity for­ces in the most affec­ted regions and trying to impro­ve coor­di­na­tion bet­ween dif­fe­rent secu­rity agen­cies. Howe­ver, the effec­ti­ve­ness of the­se mea­su­res remains a topic of deba­te, given the reach and sophis­ti­ca­tion of cri­mi­nal orga­ni­za­tions in the country (info­bae) (Dia­rio de Méxi­co).

The­se points reflect the com­ple­xity and seve­rity of the secu­rity situa­tion in Mexi­co, whe­re orga­ni­zed cri­me con­ti­nues to be a sig­ni­fi­cant threat to the country’s social and eco­no­mic sta­bi­lity.