Cancún’s Extortion Crisis: 75% of State Crimes

CANCÚN, MX — A total of 152 extortion crimes were committed in Quintana Roo as of September 30, according to a report from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (Sesnsp). The state's crime statistics indicate that 114 of these cases occurred in the municipality of Benito Juárez, which encompasses Cancún, meaning 75 percent of this crime is concentrated in the city.

According to the report from the Executive Secretariat, ten extortion cases were committed in January, 17 in February, 20 in March, 19 in April, 20 in May, 21 in June, 20 in July, 18 in August, and 17 in September, the cutoff point for the report.

In this context, the National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Safety (ENVIPE) estimates that for 2024 in the state of Quintana Roo, the total cost to households as a consequence of insecurity and crime represented an amount of 4.9 billion pesos. This is equivalent to an average of 6,326 pesos per person affected by insecurity and crime.

"The 'dark figure' of crime is calculated as the ratio of unreported crimes plus reported crimes without a formal investigation file, plus those in which it was not specified whether a report was made or an investigation file was opened, divided by the total crimes, multiplied by one hundred. The dark figure in the state of Quintana Roo corresponds to 92.9 percent of crimes committed in which there was no report or a formal investigation file was not initiated," the publication details.

The ENVIPE estimates that in the state of Quintana Roo, 70.5 percent of the population aged 18 and over considers insecurity to be the most important problem currently affecting their state, followed by corruption at 34.1 percent.

However, to reduce high- and low-impact extortion crimes and strengthen the path of "Peace Construction," the government of Quintana Roo, through the State Attorney General's Office and the Secretariat of Citizen Security, is working jointly with business organizations by creating the so-called "Centurion Group."

The Centurion Group is an initiative integrated by the three levels of government with the collaboration of the business sector. "In this government, we do not allow extortion, that is why we insist, that is why we ask citizens to report, to know that we are strengthening institutions with intelligence, with technology, with operations, and thanks to this joint work, we ask for their continued help in the construction of peace," reiterated Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa in a message.

On the other hand, Raciel López Salazar, the State Attorney General, explained that 88 extortionists have been detained, of which 84 percent were formally charged, and 12 percent were sentenced to up to 37 years in prison, in the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Tulum, and Cozumel. The victims were owners of restaurants, bars, hardware stores, laundromats, bakeries, butcher shops, construction companies, and tourist service agencies.

Among those detained were identified leaders, lieutenants, collectors, heads of hitmen, and hitmen of criminal groups.