Mexico: More than 61,000 people missing as drug-related crime rates increase

Event

Mexican government authorities announced on Monday, April 6, that a total of 61,637 people are still missing, mostly since 2006, and a record number of over 31,000 were murdered in the year of 2019. The data revealed by the authorities included all records of kidnappings since 1964, however, abductions since 2006 accounted for over 97% of the total number. According to authorities, drug cartels have been responsible for the vast majority of these crimes and typically use unmarked pits to dispose of the corpses of victims, making it difficult for authorities to retrieve and identify the bodies. Thus far, in 519 search operations, 1124 corpses have been recovered from 873 clandestine burial pits and only 395 have been identified.

Advice

Individuals in Mexico City, and Mexico more generally, are advised to remain vigilant, follow all instructions issued by local authorities, and exercise basic security precautions (e.g. keep signs of wealth concealed, drive with doors locked and windows rolled up, etc.). Individuals are advised to undergo strict pre-travel risk mitigation procedures in order to remain well-informed and situationally aware of ongoing incidents on planned routes.