Mexico is grappling with another year of staggering violence, but President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) says the country’s greatest threat may not come from the infamous drug cartels — but from white-collar criminals operating in the shadows of government and business.
New government data shows Mexico recorded 35,588 homicides last year — 933 more than in 2018. While the total number rose, the rate of increase slowed sharply to just 2.7%, a dramatic drop from previous years when annual increases exceeded 17%, 27%, even 28%.
Yet despite the slowdown, Mexico remains one of the most violent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Drug cartels continue to expand beyond narcotics into extortion, kidnappings, and territorial warfare, fueling the bloodshed. Authorities still do not know what percentage of last year’s killings are tied directly to cartel operations.
But AMLO says another enemy is doing even deeper, long-term damage.
“White-collar crime has harmed Mexico more than drug cartels,” the president declared Tuesday, arguing that corruption at the top has drained public resources, weakened institutions, and enabled criminal networks to thrive.
He emphasized that his administration now treats high-level corruption with the same level of urgency as cartel violence.
Analysts note that AMLO campaigned on rooting out systemic corruption — promising to dismantle elite networks that, for decades, siphoned off state funds and shielded criminals through political protection.
As Mexico battles escalating violence on the streets and entrenched corruption in boardrooms and government offices, AMLO faces a daunting challenge: rebuilding public trust while confronting two powerful forces that have shaped the nation’s modern history.