An internal survey conducted by the Mexican Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex-Cancún) revealed an 18% increase in extortion cases among its members.
At the local level, Coparmex-Cancún reports an increase of between 5 and 6% in the first nine months of the year.
This was announced by María Jovita Portillo Navarro, president of Coparmex-Cancún, at a press conference where she announced working groups with the Benito Juárez city council to address this and other problems affecting the local business sector.
“There has been an 18% increase in this crime, manifested in extortion calls and the collection of protection money; this is what we are addressing, and we already have a direct line of communication with the municipal secretary of citizen security,” explained the president of the employers’ association.
She added that her main demand is the prompt handling of complaints, both through the Centurion Group, which specializes in extortion cases, and through the State Attorney General’s Office.
She considered it positive that the increase to up to 40 years in prison for extortion crimes had been approved at the national level, although she said that this still needs to be harmonized with state laws to become a reality in Quintana Roo.
This statement followed a meeting she and business leaders from Coparmex-Cancún held with representatives from various departments of the Benito Juárez municipality to request five working groups on different topics, including business security and prevention; mobility and urban transportation; urban development, planning, and the environment; tourism and urban image; and destination quality.
Municipal treasurer José Alan Herrera Borges presented to the business community the progress in digitizing the process of renewing operating licenses, which, he assured, can be done online starting in 2026 to expedite the process and reduce intermediaries.
Source: eleconomista
