The state capital surpassed the statistics of the Port of Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, and Córdoba, establishing itself as the city most affected by this crime.
The data, reported by the Executive Secretariat of the State Public Security System (SESESP), reveals a demographic asymmetry: Xalapa, with 488,531 inhabitants, registered almost twice as many reports as the municipality of Veracruz, which, with a population exceeding 607,000, recorded only 69 cases.
Recently, the fight against this crime materialized in police actions during the first weekend of February 2026. Fifteen simultaneous raids coordinated by the Specialized Unit for Combating Kidnapping and Extortion (UECS) resulted in the seizure of 180 slot machines in various establishments in the capital.
The State Attorney General’s Office confirmed that electronic devices were being used as tools of coercion: a criminal group forced businesses to accept their installation or, under threat, to pay protection money if they refused to operate the illicit business.
The operation involved the National Defense Secretariat, the Navy, and the National Guard, highlighting the scale of the network operating in Xalapa.
Xalapa’s leading position in crime statistics is due to its location and commercial and administrative importance in the central region.
During 2025, the surge in crime was particularly severe in the first half of the year.
June was the most critical month of the year. Coatzacoalcos ranked third with 59 cases, followed by Córdoba with 34 and Orizaba with 31; Poza Rica, 22; and Coatepec, 20. Statewide, Veracruz recorded 730 reported crimes during the year.
State authorities attribute the increase in the extortion rate to a greater culture of reporting.
However, analysts warn that significant underreporting persists, driven by fear of reprisals.
In 2024, Xalapa already ranked eighth nationally in victims of this crime, a position that prompted the creation of a specialized unit through a decree published in the Official Gazette on July 11.
The new organizational structure aims to strengthen intelligence gathering and prosecution of cases, in a context where 30% of investigations directly involve organized crime groups.
The pressure on productive sectors is not limited to phone calls. The system of extortion, or protection money, has become institutionalized through in-person demands ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 pesos per month per business.
The main targets are transportation companies, service providers, and street vendors.
In 2025, violence escalated with direct attacks on businesses that refused to participate in the criminal extortion scheme.
Although the previous municipal administration of Xalapa, under Alberto Islas Reyes, initially described these events as “isolated incidents,” the frequency of the attacks and the number of cases opened by the prosecutor’s office refute the narrative of fragmented crime.
The state’s outlook for 2026 is complex, with 82 municipalities affected by this phenomenon. Xalapa remains a hotspot in Veracruz.
The extortion payments demanded from business owners continue to dictate the pace of the informal economy in a city that leads the statistics for a crime that remains one of the least reported in the country.
Source: imagendelgolfo
