Nine out of ten extortion crimes in Quintana Roo go unreported due to fear, distrust of the authorities, or the perception that filing a complaint will have no consequences.
This is according to the Security Monitor presented by the Mexican Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex), based on figures from the National Public Security Secretariat and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
María Jovita Portillo Navarro, president of the organization in Cancún, acknowledged that while there is coordination with the authorities to combat this crime, there is still a lack of trust in reporting it. Therefore, beyond the official statistics, extortion continues to plague the business sector in Cancún.
“The fear of reporting remains a key factor,” she asserted.
Portillo Navarro indicated that this crime impacts all levels, from large corporations to micro and small businesses, and even the informal economy.
Extortion against businesses in Quintana Roo has escalated, placing the state in the national top 10 with a rate of 2.4 victims per 100,000 inhabitants. The 2025 Coparmex Data survey revealed that the state is up to 30 percentage points above the national average in problems reported by its members.
The employers’ association reports an increase of nearly 18% annually in crimes such as extortion calls and demands for protection money from its members. Of these, 68.8% are made by phone and 31.2% involve in-person collections.
The employers’ association reports an increase of nearly 18% annually in crimes such as extortion calls and demands for protection money from its members. Of these, 68.8% are made by phone and 31.2% involve in-person collections. Small and medium-sized businesses are the most vulnerable, which has led them to allocate up to 20% more of their budget to security.
Portillo Navarro has warned that the biggest obstacle for the sector is insecurity and uncertainty, and in response, Coparmex has established direct lines of communication with the Municipal Secretariat of Citizen Security in Benito Juárez and is promoting working groups.
Source: eleconomista
