Understand the context of crime & safety in Mexico. Read our collection covering security news, regional variations, common scams, and essential precautions.
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
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.
Tabasco
A former Tabasco state cop, Francisco Javier Custodio Lima, aka "Guason," was arrested for drug trafficking, murder, and extortion. He was a key figure in the "La Barredora" cartel and had ties to corrupt cops.
Crime
Carlos Rocha Moreno, convicted of kidnapping and robbery, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for hijacking a truck carrying shoes. His accomplice, Martín Díaz Martínez, received the same sentence.
United States
US intel: Cartels escalate IED violence in Mexico, fuel US fentanyl deaths (>52k) w/ Chinese supplies. Migrants exploited. Independent fentanyl producers grow. Border encounters down, but threat persists.
Crime
Mexico federal blitz: 854 arrests, 1708 guns, 23+ tons drugs, 508 vehicles seized since Feb 5. Major cartel disruption includes dismantling meth labs, finding huge weed plantation, seizing cash and explosives across several states.
Mexico City
Mexico City restaurant corruption: Hundreds bribe officials ("moches") monthly to skip rules, creating unfairness and eroding trust. This widespread payoff system harms honest businesses and demands strict controls and accountability.
Oaxaca
Violence rocks Oaxaca: 9 missing tourists found dead, 5 men killed on highways. Tourism sector fears cancellations in Huatulco and other spots. Promoter downplays events, insists area is safe, urging visitors to come.
United States
Trump praised Mexico's anti-drug/migration efforts, yet new tariffs loom (Apr 2). Ambassador nominee Johnson noted cooperation. Mexico's President Sheinbaum countered tariff justification with data showing reduced fentanyl flow. Mixed signals create uncertainty.
Crime
Ex-Gulf Cartel leader Mario Ramírez Treviño ("El Pelón") died in US prison March 13, before sentencing. Captured in 2013 & extradited, he became a US witness against rivals like "El Menchito." His cause of death wasn't stated.