• COMEBACK Kidnapping for ransom made a comeback in the Central state of Puebla (population 6.1 million) with at least 14 formal complaints filed before authorities during this past August, the largest monthly number since 2015.
• FUEL Since January, the López Obrador Administration launched massive operations against stolen fuel gangs some of which have Puebla as its key neuralgic center due to the number of pipelines crossing the state; this enforcement may be at least partially responsible for the rise in other crimes.
• DISPLACEMENT “You hit criminals in their businesses and they migrate to other criminal activities, this has happened whenever there are big operations (like against stolen fuel) without assessing the consequences,” Francisco Rivas, a security expert at the Observatorio Nacional Ciudadano.
• EAST/CENTRAL According to Alto Al Secuestro, a civil society organization that tracks kidnapping cases across the country, the States with largest numbers in 2019 are: Veracruz with 363, State of Mexico with 252, Mexico City with 94, Puebla with 85 and Morelos with 52.
