Understand the context of crime & safety in Mexico. Read our collection covering security news, regional variations, common scams, and essential precautions.
Crime
Quintana Roo's week: drone-equipped police, sargassum as a regulated resource, a teetering Telmex pole, and CFE workers detained over "suspicious vibes" amid digital crime reporting and looming storms.
Crime
Ex-Tabasco security chief linked to "La Barredora" cartel is fugitive. Authorities busted 6 Sinaloa meth labs and found explosives. Juárez crematorium held 386 bodies; owner charged with improper handling. Top stolen cars: Nissan NP300, Versa, Aveo.
Yucatan
Ruthless criminal groups and "huachicoleros," including cartels, are exploiting Pemex pipelines in southeastern Mexico, near the Mayan Train route, through widespread fuel theft, creating a dangerous and costly black market operation.
Culture
Mexican states are increasingly banning or restricting the performance of narcocorridos, popular ballads glorifying drug traffickers and violence, in an effort to combat the promotion of criminal culture.
Crime
Mexican drug cartels are leveraging TikTok's popularity and visual nature to recruit young people and sell weapons, using enticing propaganda, coded messages, and fake job offers, according to a study by El Colegio de México.
Culiacan
Lingering fear from recent cartel violence is crippling Spring Break tourism and daily life across Sinaloa, overshadowing government promotions and drawing criticism of official priorities.
Mazatlan
While tourists party hard on Mazatlan's beaches for Semana Santa, the rest of Sinaloa is reeling from a brutal wave of cartel murders, disappearances, and military seizures highlighting the state's grim reality.
Politics
Mexican President Sheinbaum rejects reported US plans for drone strikes on cartels in Mexico, calling it intervention. She stresses sovereignty, asserting Mexico coordinates with the US but isn't subordinate, and says strikes don't solve root causes of crime.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen received a historic security upgrade: 334 vehicles (including an armored unit) and a helicopter. Led by Gov. Lezama and Mayor Mercado, the 200M+ peso investment aims to enhance police capabilities, safety, and citizen tranquility. Plans include 100 new officers.
Cancun
Cyber crooks use "Prilex" malware to hack POS terminals, cloning cards and bypassing PINs. Businesses warned! Meanwhile, Mexico targets Canadian tourists cancelling US trips amid tensions.
United States
The US deployed a second destroyer, USS Spruance, to the Pacific off Mexico to bolster efforts against drug trafficking and illegal migration, joining the USS Gravely in the Gulf. This supports a Trump directive using Navy assets for NORTHCOM/DHS/CBP border operations.
United States
Prosecutors given 90 days to seek capital punishment for Rafael Caro Quintero following extradition and Brooklyn court appearance; Case holds deep symbolic weight for U.S. law enforcement after 1985 killing of Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.