MEXICO CITY — President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed for a constitutional amendment in 2025–2026 to make extortion a federal crime in Mexico, allowing prosecutors to investigate cases without requiring victims to file formal complaints. The proposal followed a national increase in extortion, with reported cases nearly doubling between 2016 and 2025.

In the first four months of 2026 alone, nearly 3,600 extortion cases were reported nationwide, according to official figures. Authorities have arrested more than 1,300 people since July 2025 under a national strategy against extortion. Sheinbaum also launched Operation Swarm to target corruption among local officials. That operation has led to the arrests of over 70 local officials, with at least five convicted on extortion charges.

Extortion affects all sectors of Mexican society, from wealthy entrepreneurs to small shopkeepers forced to pay “protection fees” to criminal gangs. In Cuautla, street vendors were compelled to pay sometimes two different gangs at once. In Huautla, Morelos, extortionists demanded $10 per family member each month—equivalent to two-thirds of the daily minimum wage.

“Some had five children – imagine what that means per month for a poor person or family, in such a difficult environment,” said Ramón Castro, Bishop of Cuernavaca. He added, “Imagine a woman who sells tamales, a woman who sells ice-cream, having to pay organised crime. This is unheard of and heartbreaking.”

Anti-corruption expert Emmanuel Moya noted the indiscriminate nature of the crime: “They don’t discriminate against anyone. That’s why it’s so profitable, so easy to do, and so difficult to combat.”

Only 0.2% of extortion cases in Mexico are reported, largely due to fear of reprisals. Extortion in Mexico costs approximately $900 million annually, or 0.04% of the country’s GDP.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Mexico ranks among the world’s top five countries for extortion and racketeering, alongside Libya, Colombia, Honduras, and Somalia. Businesses often shut down when owners can no longer afford extortion demands. In November 2025, Uruapán mayor Carlos Manzo was shot dead after denouncing local extortion networks.