Extortion concentrated in Mexico’s economic corridors, Digi Mart USA News: Eighty-five percent of extortion victims in Mexico are concentrated in the Center, North and Bajío-Occidente economic corridors, following an increase in the incidence of the crime, according to Armando Vargas, coordinator of the security program at México Evalúa.
In an interview with Darío Celis for Negocios en Imagen, the specialist said extortion in Mexico has shown no sustained decline since 2022 and has a growing presence in industrial and agri-food development zones. He added that the crime is not distributed evenly across the country but is located in specific municipalities that connect the nation’s commercial and industrial activity.
Vargas said extortion operates as a form of resource extraction that harms both citizens and production chains. He noted that, based on quantitative data, organized crime is no longer only charging businesses to let them operate, but is increasingly deciding who sells, who produces and who exports.
As an example, he cited the agricultural sector in Michoacán, where criminal groups intervene in setting market conditions for producers.
According to Vargas, the Center region has the highest extortion victimization rate in Mexico, at 8.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. He said the North region is second in concentration, with its rate rising by nearly 70 percent in one year, and that Nuevo León shows the largest increase.
Vargas also said official figures substantially underestimate extortion because many cases are not formally reported to authorities. He considered the current government policy against telephone extortion potentially very effective and highlighted government efforts to block mobile signals around prisons, from which many phone extortions are carried out.
He added that the lack of institutional presence in some territories favors forced arrangements between criminals and merchants.
