At least 15 of the 32 states of Mexico are in the red for organized crime, as they have the highest rates of homicide, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, and vehicle theft, according to a report by Semaphore Delictivo released today Thursday.
In a statement, the NGO detailed that these entities are Zacatecas, Colima, Baja California, Morelos, Sonora, San Luis Potosí, State of Mexico, Chihuahua, Tlaxcala, Quintana Roo, Querétaro, Nayarit, Michoacán, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Coahuila and Baja Southern California.
“All of them add up to the highest number of reds in organized crime in the first half of the year,” the organization said.
However, they said that there are some states like Tamaulipas that, although they do not appear on the list because although their general rates are lower than other entities, they have “very hot” areas, especially on the border.
“This is replicated in states like Sinaloa or Guerrero,” the document said.
The organization explained that the crime of homicide is similar to last year, as it registered a slight decrease of 1%, thus maintaining the rate of 28 homicide victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
“One of the highest in the world, surpassed only by El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, South Africa, and Brazil,” the statement said.
Santiago Roel, director of the organization, indicated that homicide is the indicator of greatest concern and relevance, since “we know that it is directly related to drug trafficking executions.”
He pointed out that they are not ordinary homicides since “80% or more of the homicides in Mexico are due to the black market for drugs.”
He said that the areas of the country with the highest homicide rates are those where two or more cartels fight over territory, either to produce, import, traffic or sell any prohibited substance.
“It is not a matter for state police, it is a federal matter. As long as Mexico does not dare to take away the business by regulating some substances, we will continue to suffer from this hell,” Roel said.
He also explained that socio-family crimes have risen in the year and are reported in red, including rape, family violence, malicious injuries, and femicide.
“We are living one of the most violent years. Although it is true that robberies and kidnapping have decreased due to the pandemic and confinement, on the other hand, the violence that occurs at home has exploited us,” he continued.
And he warned that a thorough preventive work on the part of authorities and society is urgent “we cannot stand idly by,” he said.
Finally, he accused the Government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of hitting private investment, the free market, and free competition.
“Every day we see more and worse state intervention and that has had a very negative effect. If we continue to insist on it and, on the other hand, kick the can on the issue of drug regulation, this six-year term will close as the worst in violence and crime,” concluded Roel.
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