Quintana Roo Tops Mexico’s Human Trafficking Cases, Sheinbaum Warns

Cancún, Quintana Roo — President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that Quintana Roo is among the Mexican states with the highest incidence of human trafficking, particularly cases involving children, and said her government is coordinating with state authorities to fight the crime.

Speaking at her morning press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum said cooperation between federal and state agencies is ongoing. “Not only in Tlaxcala — in Quintana Roo as well, which is one of the entities with the greatest problems related to trafficking, and particularly of minors, of children,” she said.

The president said foreign nationals are among those arrested in the state. “There are many detainees; some are even foreign citizens who have been arrested,” she said, without specifying the number of arrests or the circumstances of individual cases.

Her remarks came as her administration presented a decree to ban violent and sexual content aimed at children and adolescents on digital platforms. She also said the Secretariat for Women has assisted families that reported possible exploitation cases, and pledged continued federal support for local investigations and follow-up on reports.

State Prosecutors Report 456 Cases

According to a report presented on Oct. 2, 2026, during the Third Ordinary Session of the Interinstitutional Commission against Trafficking in Persons Crimes, the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office opened 456 investigation files and carried out 221 raids on bars, restaurants and private homes between July 1, 2023 and Sept. 15, 2026.

The office reported 141 people detained and 1,207 victims rescued, 151 of them minors. Of the total, 945 victims were Mexican and 262 were foreign nationals. Officials said 34 people have received sentences of up to 30 years in prison.

Six Women Rescued in Benito Juárez

The prosecutor’s office also detailed two raids carried out weeks earlier in Benito Juárez, the municipality that includes Cancún, where authorities found six women — two Mexicans, two Venezuelans and two Paraguayans — suspected of being trafficking victims in the form of forced prostitution. Officials said the women had been recruited with promises of jobs in the tourism sector.

A man and a woman were arrested during the operation, which was coordinated with the Mexican Navy, the National Guard and municipal police. Both suspects were charged and placed in pretrial detention.

The Secretariat of Government, meanwhile, announced the presentation of a “Detection Protocol for Safeguarding Girls, Boys and Adolescents at Mass Events.” It also reported that the “Red Card against Child Sexual Exploitation” campaign has generated 149,270 impacts at airports, transport systems and Tren Maya terminals.