According to the Mexico Peace Index, presented by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Colima “remains the least peaceful state for the fourth consecutive year,” plagued by the struggle for control over the port of Manzanillo for the trafficking of fentanyl chemical precursors.
In this context, Manzanillo recorded—for the second consecutive year—one of the highest homicide rates among all municipalities in the country, serving as a strategic entry point for the chemical precursors used to produce fentanyl.
Nationwide, 75.6 percent of the population perceived their state as unsafe. According to the historical data of the Peace Index, the indicator for fear of violence peaked in 2018 at 79.4 percent; it subsequently followed a downward trend that was interrupted just last year.
“The dispute between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Sinaloa Cartel, and affiliated groups for control of this corridor has been the primary driver of extreme violence in the state,” reveals the Peace Index regarding Colima, which is governed by Indira Vizcaíno Silva of the MORENA party.
From 2024 to 2025, organized crime offenses in Colima rose by 43.2 percent; small-scale drug dealing increased by 52.8 percent; and robbery rose by 51.5 percent.
“Colima also bears the highest economic impact of violence as a proportion of its state GDP, according to the 2026 Mexico Peace Index (IPM). This underscores the toll that decades of extreme violence have exacted upon Colima’s economy and social fabric,” the report states.
Although homicides saw a 22.7 percent decline, this reduction did not result in a change in ranking, as the state remained in last place among the 32 states of the Mexican Republic. “The sustained reversal of this trend will ultimately depend on the State’s capacity to dismantle the structures vying for control of the Port of Manzanillo and to strengthen security and justice institutions at the state level—two areas that the State Peace Index identifies as critical for peace consolidation in Mexico,” according to the report.
Source: colimanoticias
