Federal Prosecutor Godoy Acknowledges Rising Extortion Rates in Mexico

Mexico City — Federal Prosecutor Ernestina Godoy acknowledged on Wednesday that authorities have been unable to reduce or contain extortion crimes in Mexico, with incidence rates continuing to rise nationwide.

Speaking at the National Meeting of State Prosecutors on Extortion, part of the National Strategy Against Extortion, Godoy said combating this crime requires a coordinated state response with modern strategies and intelligence tools.

“We have managed to reduce the incidence of high-impact crimes together,” Godoy said. “However, this particular crime has not been possible to reduce, let alone contain — it has been growing, despite the enormous underreporting we know exists.”

The prosecutor emphasized that extortion cannot be addressed in isolation, noting that “this criminal phenomenon crosses municipal, state, and often national borders.”

The meeting, which brought together federal and state prosecutors along with federal police commanders, took place at the National Justice Park, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office headquarters in Mexico City.

Godoy outlined three fundamental principles for combating extortion: unity among government institutions at different levels, coordination to establish clear responsibilities, and commitment to citizens.

“Collaboration between institutions should not be limited to good intentions or general agreements,” she said. “It must become operational mechanisms, real coordination, timely information exchange, joint investigations, harmonized criteria, and a rapid response to reported cases.”

The prosecutor called for better protection of victims and increased reporting, stating that “extortion is combated by protecting victims, generating trust to report crimes, and ensuring institutions respond effectively. Citizens must know they are not alone and that the state is present to defend them.”

Godoy noted that extortion has evolved to include various forms, from direct street extortion to telephone and digital methods.

“Consequently, we need a modern strategy with intelligence tools, financial investigation capabilities, technological resources, and permanent strengthening of all our institutions,” she said. “However, the element that may be missing is the most important: the real will to join forces, because if we want different results, we need to work differently.”

She added that this means “leaving behind any logic of isolated efforts to build a firm, coordinated, and permanent state response.”

Other officials participating in the forum included Marcela Figueroa Franco, head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System; César Oliveros and Antonio de Jesús Lozada, heads of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and the Undersecretariat of Police Intelligence and Investigation of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection; José Manuel Merino Madrid, Secretary General of the National Intelligence Center; General Guillermo Briseño Lobera, Commander of the National Guard; and Héctor Elizalde Mora, head of the Criminal Investigation Agency.