New Cancun Prison Project Still Awaiting Federal Funding, Cost Estimated at Over 2 Billion Pesos

Cancun, Quintana Roo — The project to build a new prison in Cancun remains under federal review and will require an estimated investment of between 2 billion and 2.5 billion pesos ($100 million to $125 million), according to Julio Cesar Gomez Torres, Quintana Roo’s Secretary of Public Security.

Gomez Torres said the state government authorized funds for the executive project at the start of the current administration, and negotiations continue to secure the necessary financing to move forward with construction.

The new penitentiary would be located on the road to Merida, near the boundary with Leona Vicario, and is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the state’s prison system amid a growing inmate population.

Quintana Roo currently holds approximately 5,200 inmates, up from about 3,700 at the start of the administration — an increase of more than 1,500 people, Gomez Torres noted.

Existing prison capacity ranges from 3,800 to 4,000 spaces, prompting the state to expand infrastructure while awaiting the new facility.

As part of those efforts, around 300 new spaces are being built at prisons in Cancun and Chetumal, with an additional 120 spaces in Cozumel.

The security secretary also said about 60 million pesos ($3 million) have been allocated to strengthen security infrastructure, reintegration programs, and improve conditions for inmates across the state’s prisons.

Among the projects nearing completion is a new, larger-capacity kitchen at the Cancun prison, along with upgrades at facilities in Chetumal and Cozumel.

Gomez Torres attributed the rise in the prison population to the effectiveness of security forces in fighting crime, though he acknowledged that transfers to federal prisons have become more difficult due to overcrowding in those facilities.