Introduction
Today, the national strategy against extortion was unveiled, targeting eight priority states: Ciudad de México, Estado de Mexico, Michoacán, Guerrero, Nuevo León, Jalisco, and Veracruz. These states were chosen due to their high complexity in extortion-related matters.
Key Components of the Strategy
The strategy emphasizes the importance of the approval of the Ley del Sistema Nacional de Investigación e Inteligencia, which will strengthen investigations to dismantle criminal networks, identify violence generators, and foster coordination with authorities. This will be achieved through anti-extortion units, multidisciplinary attention, specialized work teams, and institutional capacity enhancement.
- Congelation of bank accounts
- Geolocation
- Awareness campaigns
- Functionary training
The strategy also prioritizes addressing extortionate and in-person calls, acknowledging their severity.
Understanding Extortion’s Nature
Extortion has been a significant problem for decades, stemming from local networks of collusion. This crime thrives in specific zones where opportunities are not improvised but carefully planned.
Prisons and detention centers function as organized hubs for planning and executing extortion schemes, often under the umbrella of well-structured criminal networks. This leaves little room for improvisation when objectives are clear and specific.
Extortion is particularly heinous as it erodes victims’ wealth and places their lives at the mercy of criminal groups’ professionalization, intimidation capabilities, collusion levels, and law enforcement’s reaction speed.
While freezing bank accounts, leveraging technology, and establishing operational protocols are positive steps, a proactive approach is equally crucial. By understanding that extortion often originates from specific localities and targets particular entities (businesses, microenterprises, economic interest spaces), authorities can anticipate potential criminal group interests and prevent harm.
The Role of Information and Collaboration
Extortion relies on information, observation, surveillance, and execution. Successful operations depend on two critical factors: information and collusion. Without these, authorities risk being reactive rather than proactive in preventing risks and threats.
Strategic investigations and detentions are vital but require collaboration between local authorities and business sectors. Secure reporting channels for victims are essential to rebuild trust and facilitate joint efforts.
A preventive yet proactive strategy could consider two stages of extortion: ongoing and impending. This dual focus would aid in observing and comprehending extortion, predicting short- and medium-term actions, and actively containing the issue through mapping businesses, local economic activities, law enforcement-sector interactions, bank involvement, information sharing among extortion victims, and understanding local economic vulnerabilities.