While the federal strategy highlights reductions in high-impact crimes such as intentional homicide, another phenomenon is advancing with less visibility but with profound consequences for the State: extortion.
Extortion is now one of the clearest expressions of criminal governance. Wherever a business owner pays a “protection fee” to keep their business open, the State loses ground to organizations that impose their own parallel rules.
In strategic states such as Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit, this crime has long since ceased to be merely a way of generating illicit income. It has evolved into a tool of territorial, economic, and social control that directly challenges the government’s ability to exercise authority.
Incidence
The dark figure of extortion in Mexico reaches 97%, meaning that only 3 out of every 100 actual cases are reported to the authorities, according to Coparmex. The economic impact falls especially on small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are forced to close or move into the informal economy because they cannot withstand pressure from criminal groups.
According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), as of June 2026, there were 5,331 extortion investigations nationwide. Of these, 76 corresponded to Sinaloa, 72 to Baja California, 21 to Nayarit, and 13 to Sonora. Sinaloa has the highest officially recorded incidence in northwestern Mexico.
Failed Strategies
In addition to being a serious crime that violates victims’ freedom and property, extortion erodes the rule of law, discourages investment, and serves as a mechanism of territorial control for criminal organizations, with devastating consequences for economic activity. According to specialists, protection rackets can force businesses to shut down.
Based on this concern, the Permanent Commission recently approved a resolution urging the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) to strengthen, together with authorities from all 32 states, strategies for preventing, addressing, and combating extortion, particularly in areas with the highest incidence, in response to the increase in reported cases.
Extortion: The Criminal Tax That Erodes Governance
According to legislators, extortion has shown a sustained upward trend, with reported cases increasing from 8,734 in 2019 to 11,081 in 2025, marking the highest annual total in the past decade.
The Crime
The Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services, and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur) warned that Mexican states are progressing at different speeds in aligning their legal frameworks with the country’s anti-extortion legislation.
The organization’s president, Octavio de la Torre, noted that a General Law Against Extortion is already in place and that states must amend their local laws accordingly. He explained that 63% of the states have already done so, including Baja California, Nayarit, and Sinaloa; 31% are currently in the process, while 6%, including Sonora, have not yet introduced any legislative proposals.
“Combating extortion is also an employment policy, because no business can grow where uncertainty prevails, or where going to work means wondering whether you’ll make it home. Someone who goes to work in fear cannot be as productive as they could be under different conditions,” he emphasized.
The Mexican Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex) has published a monitoring report to track the issue. According to its national president, Juan José Sierra Álvarez, extortion has evolved from an isolated crime into a daily pressure that conditions economic activity, disrupts family life, and weakens public trust.
In its latest report, Coparmex highlighted that during the first quarter of 2026, an average of 32.4 extortion victims per day was recorded, a higher rate than during 2025.
Sinaloa: Violence Hits the Economy
National attention often focuses on clashes between criminal factions. However, behind those conflicts lies a criminal economy that relies on extortion as a constant source of funding.
According to SESNSP data, 76 extortion investigations had been opened in Sinaloa by June 2026. Official figures show 6 cases in January, 10 in February, 6 in March, 19 in April, 18 in May, and 17 in June.
Baja California
Baja California’s geographic location makes it one of Mexico’s most important economic corridors. International trade, the maquiladora industry, and tourism generate intense business activity that also attracts criminal organizations.
The State Attorney General’s Office reported a 20% increase in extortion complaints so far this year. According to Gisela Rodríguez, the state’s anti-extortion prosecutor, the most common forms are telephone extortion and protection payments demanded from commercial establishments.
Edgardo Flores, president of the Citizen Council for Public Security of Baja California, stated that territorial disputes allow criminal groups to expand into new illicit markets, including protection rackets and extortion.
Sonora and Nayarit
In Sonora, competition for routes leading to the United States border has increased pressure on productive sectors such as agriculture, livestock, mining, and freight transportation.
According to the Sonora Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC Sonora), the C5i emergency center received 269 reports related to attempted telephone extortion in May, and 228 reports in June.
Although Nayarit records lower crime levels than its northern neighbors, it occupies a strategic position within the Pacific corridor. Extortion remains a significant concern.
Its connection to Sinaloa and Jalisco makes it a territory of interest for criminal organizations seeking to control transportation routes and local economic activities.
Crime in Mexico
The greatest danger posed by extortion is not limited to its economic cost. Its deepest impact emerges when it changes the relationship between citizens and public institutions.
In that scenario, governance begins to deteriorate—not because institutions disappear, but because they cease to be the primary reference point for resolving conflicts and ensuring the proper functioning of the economy.
Source: debate
