A staggering 90.8% of Culiacán residents perceive their city to be unsafe, more than double the number who felt that way last year at this time.
(José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)
The latest National Survey of Urban Public Safety, released by the national statistics agency INEGI on Thursday, shows that residents of Culiacán consider their city, the state capital of Sinaloa, to be the least safe of any urban area in Mexico.
That finding is unlikely to surprise many, given that the state has been under siege since a civil war erupted among rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel last year. Still, even in a nation where 63% of urbanites feel unsafe in their own city (up from 59.4% of a year ago), the 90.8% who feel Culiacán is unsafe is a striking figure, and a major increase from the 44.7% who felt unsafe this time last year.
The current feud between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has convinced Culiacán residents that they are “living in a war zone.” (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)
The current war was triggered after Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was allegedly kidnapped and taken to the U.S., where he was arrested.
Zambada’s arrest escalated a long-running dispute between the “Los Chapitos” and “Los Mayos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The internecine conflict — which was foreseen back in 2021 — began less than a month later, grabbing headlines after the military was targeted via a narco-blockade in a rural area north of Culiacán on Aug. 29.
Official records show that there were 50 murders officially reported in Sinaloa in July 2024 and 44 the following month. In September, that number spiked to 142 and has consistently exceeded three figures since, peaking at 207 in June.
The news website N+ reported that 2,092 people were killed across the state between September 2024 and June 30, 2025. Also, nearly 2,000 civilians have been “disappeared,” with 278 of these disappearances occurring in Culiacán since Jan. 1, according to the newspaper Infobae.
Additionally, officials received 1,794 complaints of kidnapping, arbitrary detention and sexual harassment between September 2024 and June 1, 2025. Among those kidnapped are teen-agers as young as 14 who are “recruited” by the cartel to serve as look-outs and gunmen.
A Culiacán merchant who spoke to N+ summed up the situation frankly, saying, “We are living in a war zone.”
The violence has also devastated the local economy. Since the beginning of the crisis, it is estimated that more than 1,800 businesses in Culiacán have closed and an additional 800 people have lost their jobs.
Zambada was eventually transferred to a prison in New York City and is scheduled for a hearing in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Aug. 25.
Although Culiacán is the epitome of unsafe cities in Mexico, it is not alone in producing high negative numbers in public safety perception.
In the INEGI survey, residents of Ecatepec de Morelos in México state (90.7%), Uruapan, Michoacán (89.5%), Tapachula, Chiapas (88.1%) and Ciudad Obregón, Sonora (88.0%), overwhelmingly reported feeling unsafe in their own cities.
On the other hand, residents of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, just 215 kilometers south of Culiacán, said they felt safer than they did a year ago. There, the negative perception fell from 75.5% in June 2024 to 64.5% this year.
President Sheinbaum speaks at her morning press conference on Friday, where she reiterated her suppport for a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, and vowed to "pacify" the violence-riddled state of Sinaloa.
(Presidencia)
Reporters in the audience at Friday morning’s mañanera raise their hands to ask President Sheinbaum a question. In response to one of them, the president vowed to reduce the violence plaguing the state of Sinaloa, which on the anniversary of the 2024 arrest of cartel leader “El Mayo” continues unabated. (Presidencia)
Here is a recap of the remarks the president made about Gaza and Sinaloa at her July 25 mañanera.
‘We condemn what is happening at this time,’ Sheinbaum says of the situation in Gaza
A reporter asked the president whether Mexico would add its name to an intergovernmental statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.
Signed by the foreign ministers of 30 countries including those of Canada, France, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom, the statement says: “We, the signatories listed below, come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.”
“The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” it continues.
“… We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively,” said the July 21 statement.
On Friday morning, Sheinbaum said that “in all international forums,” and in Mexico, the Mexican government has made it clear that it is in favor of peace and the “peaceful” coexistence of two states — “the state of Israel and the state of Palestine.”
“Of course we condemn what is happening at this time, and Mexico is putting all its words and actions into building peace between these two states,” she said.
Sinaloa Cartel kingpin “El Mayo” Zambada (left) alleged that Los Chapitos leader Joaquín Guzmán López (right) kidnapped him and delivered him to U.S. authorities in July 2024. (Archive)
“We’re working and we’re going to pacify Sinaloa,” Sheinbaum responded.
“That will be the case. We work every day and when there is honesty, strategy and work there are results, in Sinaloa and the entire country,” she said.
“Of course Sinaloa will be pacified,” Sheinbaum added.
By “operation,” the ex-president apparently meant a negotiation with Joaquín Guzmán López — another alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader and one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons — that he believes resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at an airport in New Mexico a year ago today.
The U.S. government has denied any direct involvement in the capture of Zambada.
For much of the last year, the Mexican government has been calling on its U.S. counterpart to provide it with all the information it has about the events leading up to the arrest of Zambada.
On Friday, Sheinbaum spoke about the importance of “collaboration and coordination” between the Mexican and U.S. governments on security issues.
Believe it or not, Mexico City dwellers keep some Mexica customs alive in our everyday lives. These are some of the most common. (INAH/Wikimedia Commons)
It’s a quintessential Mexico City experience: driving south across the Anillo Periférico ring road, you find archaeological ruins on the side of the road almost out of the blue. One of the most famous sites in the southern part of the city is Cuicuilco, the remains of a powerful ancient city that was destroyed by the volcano Xitle around AD 315.
Coming across these ancient ruins can also happen when finding your way across the Metro. The Pino Suárez station is famous fthePyramid of Ehécatl, which was built in honor of the Mexica (Aztec) god of the winds and sits in the middle of the station.
Templo Mayor, the most important religious and political center of the ancient Mexica city of Tenochtitlan, the ruins of Cuicuilco and these other sites are a testament to how our pre-Columbian past has not abandoned us, despite the efforts made by European invaders to eradicate our ancient roots. Similarly, denizens of the capital keep some Mexica customs alive in our everyday lives. These are some of the most iconic.
Grocery shopping at a traditional market
Tianguis and traditional markets in Mexico have been around for centuries. (Amar Preciado/Pexels)
The joy ofgrocery shopping at a traditional Mexican market comes from embodying a living, centuries-oldMesoamerican tradition. Mesoamerica’s largest market was built in Tlatelolco, near the present-day Historic Center in Mexico City, around 1337. This became the main market that supplied the population of Tenochtitlán with all the products that could be imagined at that time, asdocumented by the Institute of Historical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Today, over 600 years later, markets and tianguis continue to be a form of social cohesion, where reminiscences of that Mexica past still resonate with the voices of the merchants.
Training your palate to be resistant to spicy meals
Honor the gods. Try spicy, hot salsa! (RDNE Stock Project/Pexels)
Every time a foreign customer orders non-spicy salsa at a taquería, the great Mexica goddess Tlatlauhqui Cihuatl Ichilzintli, the Respectable Lady of Chilis, cries in desperation. But she finds solace when those of us who have found a home in this country bathe our daily meals with anything spicy. Hot peppers were a central part of Mexica cuisine and medicine and were even used to discipline unruly children. Be it having a bowl of salsa verde at the table or sprinkling chile en polvo on our freshly cut fruit, adding a spicy touch to whatever we eat is undeniably a Mexica heritage, which we have kept alive in our eating habits.
Eating bugs, mushrooms and flowers
Of all the edible insect species documented to date, as per the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry’s latest figures, Mexico has (and eats) about a third of them. (Jhovani Morales/Pexels)
Chapulines?Escamoles? Gusanos de maguey? Yes! Crickets, ant eggs and worms were at the center of Mexica tables,— and if you’ve ever had lunch at a tianguis a taquero may have offered you one of these delicacies. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, asdocumented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, over96 different species of insects were a fundamental part of Mexica cuisine. Even the most upscale restaurants in Polanco offer these delights.
However, you don’t have to eat anything previously alive to embody a living Mexica tradition. You can go veggie, as well! For example, eating mushroom quesadillas is a must at any mercado de antojitos. And of course, if you haven’t tried pumpkin flower tamales at Xochimilco, you’re absolutely missing out.
Including native corn in your daily diet
Tortillas serve both as sustenance and cutlery at Mexican tables. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
I can’t fathom a Mexican table withouttortillas. Tortillas serve both as sustenance and cutlery at Mexican tables. As a key ingredient for main Mexican courses, per capita consumption is recorded at around 331 kilograms per year, as suggested by the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry’slatest figures. And how could we not? Our land has nurtured roughly67 different species of corn for over 10,000 years. Tortillas — “tlaxcalli” in Nahuatl — were a staple food as important for the Mexica and other ancient Mesoamerican cultures as they are for modern day Mexicans.
Using a molcajete to pound grains, spices and veggies
The Mexica custom of having a molcajete in every kitchen is still alive today in present-day Mexico. (Óscar Damián Jiménez/Pexels)
If you ever go to a fonda serving comida corrida, an establishment where you can have a three-course meal for less than 100 pesos, you’ll probably see the cook making their own salsa in a molcajete. The term comes from Náhuatl words “molli,” which means sauce, and “caxtli,” or bowl: “mollicaxtli” therefore means the sauce bowl, asdocumented by the Exterior Relations Ministry (SRE). It’s usually made of volcanic rock, and traditionally has the face of an animal — usually, a pig — carved in the front.
If you live in Mexico and love to cook, a molcajete is an absolute kitchen must, especially if you’re into making your own spicy salsas. There is no bigger joy than smashing chilis and tomatoes against the pig’s volcanic back, and using the mortar to get the best of their juices. That, too, is a Mexica tradition that Mexican households have kept alive — and will probably persist through the passage of time.
Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin signed the deal Thursday in Mexico City. (Lee Zeldin/X)
Mexico and the United States reached an agreement on Thursday that aims to permanently fix a long-running environmental problem in which Mexican sewage flows into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California after crossing the border via the Tijuana River.
Mexico’s Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Mexico City that seeks to address “the sanitation and environmental crisis in the Tijuana–San Diego Region.”
Imperial Beach in San Diego, where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean, has been repeatedly closed in past years due to unsafe levels of sewage in the water. (File photo)
The MOU states that there is a shared desire to “coordinate cross-border solutions that permanently stop untreated wastewater from polluting coastal communities, harming public health, and damaging the environment on both sides of the border.”
The document outlines commitments of both Mexico and the United States that are aimed at achieving those objectives. One of Mexico’s commitments is to allocate US $93 million in 2026 and 2027 to “facilitate completion” of a number of projects to improve the Tijuana sewage system by December 31, 2027, “or sooner.”
The EPA said in a statement that the MOU “achieves the three top Trump Administration priorities and milestones critical to ensuring a 100% solution” to the sewage crisis in the Tijuana-San Diego area.
The agency noted that Mexico will allocate $93 million to sewage system projects and that the timeline for the completion of those projects has been reduced by up to four years in some cases. It also said that “several necessary Mexico side projects have been added to account for future population growth in Tijuana and operation and maintenance costs.”
Zeldin declared that “the Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long.”
He emphasized the need for speed in the completion of projects to solve the sewage crisis, telling reporters “that if any speed changes, that speed will have to be a speed to go faster.”
Earlier this year, Zeldin accused Mexico of being too slow to complete projects it has committed to carrying out in Tijuana, where the population and industry have grown significantly in recent decades and wastewater treatment plants and other sewage infrastructure have become ineffective.
The signing of the MOU came three months after the EPA chief said that Mexico must act to stop the massive flow of sewage and toxic chemicals from the Tijuana River into the Pacific Ocean.
The sewage has contaminated the coastline of southern California for years, and sickened U.S. Navy seals, Border Patrol agents, beach users and others.
Bárcena said on Thursday that Mexico and the United States are committed to solving the binational sewage problem “once and for all.”
She highlighted that the MOU is “the first binational agreement … between Mexico and the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump and President Claudia Sheinbaum.”
“There is a great commitment on the part of both countries to strengthen cooperation and this is what we’re demonstrating today,” Bárcena said.
The MOU states that Mexico “intends to immediately seek internal funding” to initiate construction of two projects in 2025.
One US $13.3-million project will divert 10 million gallons per day of treated effluent to the Rodríguez Dam, located upstream on the Tijuana River.
Another $8.4-million project will rehabilitate the Parallel Gravity Line, a major wastewater pipeline.
Those two projects will be completed by the end of 2025, the EPA said.
The $93 million in funding to be used in 2026 and 2027 is to rehabilitate various sewers in the Tijuana sewage system and to carry out upgrades to the Arturo Herrera and La Morita wastewater treatment plants, among other projects. That money is so-called “Minute 328 funds,” part of a financial commitment Mexico pledged to make in accordance with a 2022 agreement.
Bárcena said that Mexico is also committed to doubling the capacity of the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant. The Environment Ministry said in a statement that it is “exploring financing alternatives” to achieve that goal, including the possibility of accessing “support” from the EPA “through existing mechanisms at the North American Development Bank.”
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Major Milestone Reached! The US & Mexico are collaborating to improve water infrastructure in the Tijuana River watershed. The US will fund key projects, continue expanding the South Bay wastewater plant capacity, and inform Mexico of trash removal expenses. Mexico will… pic.twitter.com/T9nk7WRIuQ
— U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (@usibwc) July 25, 2025
The San Antonio de los Buenos plant “had been spewing at least 23 million gallons of sewage per day (1,000 liters per second) into the Pacific Ocean” before recent repairs, Reuters reported.
Even now, “millions of gallons of treated and untreated sewage from Tijuana’s overburdened [sewage] system makes its way daily into the Tijuana River and reaches the ocean in the San Diego suburb of Imperial Beach,” the news agency said.
Among the United States’ commitments, as detailed in the MOU, is to release EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program funding to complete the rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 in San Diego as well as Tijuana River collection pipes. Pump Station 1 treats sewage pumped in from Tijuana.
The United States also committed to “expand treatment capacity” at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego “from 25 to 50 million gallons per day (‘MGD’) by December 2027, with an interim expansion to 35 MGD by August 2025.”
That plant also treats sewage from Tijuana.
The MOU also states that Mexico and the United States “intend to enter into a new Minute by December 31, 2025, or sooner,” that will contain a number of actions to be “executed immediately through existing or new binational workgroups led by the two Sections of IBWC” — the International Boundary and Water Commission.
Among the 13 actions are to:
Initiate engineering and financial studies to assess the feasibility of installing an ocean outfall at the San Antonio de los Buenos plant in Tijuana.
Assess the technical and financial feasibility of expanding treatment capacity of the San Antonio de los Buenos plant from 18.26 to 43.37 million gallons per day.
Develop a routine schedule and cost-sharing formula for cleaning and sediment dredging operations in the Tijuana River.
Develop a Tijuana water infrastructure master plan to ensure that sufficient water infrastructure is planned and constructed commensurate with anticipated population growth.
The MOU states that the 13 actions “are deemed necessary to ensure a comprehensive and durable solution to address transboundary wastewater management issues, human health concerns, and environmental conditions in the Tijuana River watershed.”
On Friday morning, President Sheinbaum described the MOU as a “very important agreement” and highlighted that the United States is committing $600 million to projects in the San Diego area.
“It’s a comprehensive bilateral agreement,” she said.
At once a Pueblo Mágico and a surfing mecca, Sayulita typifies Nayarit's attractiveness to tourists, foreign and domestic.
(Maximus Meadowcroft/Unsplash)
Summer vacation has begun and Nayarit officials are projecting a five billion-peso windfall from the one million tourists expected to visit the state’s beaches and pueblos mágicos.
State and federal officials launched Operation Summer Vacation 2025 on July 4, a program aimed at providing security to tourists and Nayarit residents. The strategy involves state and federal security, health, civil protection and tourism agencies.
Plenty of seaside micro-destinations have earned the state’s coast the title of Riviera Nayarit. (Michele Feola/Unsplash)
Hotel occupancy in the state’s coastal areas is projected to reach 88%, contributing mightily to the 5 billion pesos (US $270 million) expected to enter the state this summer.
While providing an update this week, state Tourism Minister Juan Enrique Suárez del Real spoke of the growth in domestic and international tourists and visitors to Nayarit in recent years.
He said that while roughly two-thirds of visitors to Nayarit arrive by land, more than 60% of passengers arriving at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport in neighboring Jalisco visit destinations in Nayarit. This translates to approximately four million tourists arriving by air each year, he said.
Suárez del Real said Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro has prioritized air connectivity with new international routes arriving at the Tepic International Airport (TPQ) from the U.S. and a direct flight from Canada due to launch in December. The airport in Tepic, the state capital, officially became an international airport in 2009, but a July 16 flight from Los Angeles was TPQ’s first-ever international arrival.
The tourism minister called on all state residents “to embrace tourism as a matter of shared responsibility and commitment.” He said that beyond entertainment, tourism means “meeting all the needs of those who visit Nayarit with quality and efficiency.”
Inflation declined in the first half of July, marked by lower costs for various agricultural products, such as lemons and avocados, giving rise to expectations that the central bank (Banxico) will continue to cut interest rates.
Headline inflation declined more than expected in early July, bringing it back within the central bank’s target range. (Shutterstock)
Annualized inflation surprised to the downside in the first half of July, slowing from 4.13% to 3.55%, below the market consensus of 3.61%. Consumer prices rose 0.15% compared to the previous two weeks, also below expectations of a 0.27% increase.
President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated the news, saying during her Thursday morning press conference that the slowdown in inflation “indicates that [Banxico] has room to keep cutting interest rates.”
Citing INEGI data, Sheinbaum said the rise in inflation in previous months was primarily due to the increase in the prices of beef, pork, and chicken, whose costs have begun to normalize.
Among the products with the highest price increases during the first two weeks of July were nopales, up 14.44%; air transport, up 11.25% and lettuce and cabbage, up 8.71%.
In the other column, grapes showed an 11.96% decrease in price; papayas fell 5.86% and lemons fell 5.73%.
Banxico, which targets an inflation rate of 3% plus or minus one percentage point, lowered its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points in June — its fourth straight cut of that magnitude. This reduced the policy rate in Latin America’s second-largest economy to 8.0%, the lowest since August 2022.
Brokerage Monex said the data surprised the market as inflation reached its lowest level during the first fortnight of July in a decade. Still, core inflation continues to present challenges.
The closely watched core price index, which measures inflation excluding volatile items like food and energy prices, climbed 0.15% in early July, compared with 0.22% a month earlier.
Rumbo Económico MÉX: En la 1ra. quincena de julio, la inflación general fue de 0.15% q/q, situándose por debajo de la expectativa del mercado de 0.25%. A tasa anual, la inflación general se moderó a 3.55% desde 4.13% previo, alcanzando así su nivel más bajo desde la 2Q de enero. pic.twitter.com/VGTJiv2pE7
The year-to-year core component came in at 4.25%, easing from 4.28% and below expectations (4.31%). Within the core index, goods “registered upward pressure,” according to a Scotiabank report, “rising from 3.97% to 4.01%, while services decelerated from 4.63% to 4.49%.”
At the same time, the non-core rate declined from 3.43% to 1.24%, fueled by a sharp decline in fruit and vegetable prices (down 12.24%). This abrupt drop offset a 10.70% increase in livestock products.
In its statement from the June 27 meeting, Banxico said it expects to slow the pace of interest rate cuts. Monex analysts concurred, writing in a report that “Given the stubbornness of core inflation, we expect Banxico to reduce the scale of its cuts.”
Monex and Scotiabank project that the central bank will vote for a 25 basis point rate cut at its Aug. 7 meeting, lowering the benchmark interest rate to 7.75%.
Sheinbaum said she would seek to speak to Trump about the proposed 30% tariff "if it's necessary." (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about her government’s efforts to stave off new U.S. tariffs that are due to take effect next week.
She also spoke about two significant reductions: one in the amount of fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities at the Mexico-U.S. border and another in the prevailing inflation rate in Mexico.
Here is a recap of the president’s July 24 mañanera.
Mexico doing ‘everything’ it can to stop 30% US tariffs from taking effect
Asked about the United States’ proposed 30% tariff on imports from Mexico that is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1, Sheinbaum said that her government is doing “everything” it can to stop the new duty from entering into force.
“There is a team working in the United States with the [U.S.] commerce secretary and the treasury secretary,” she said.
“We made a series of proposals that have to do with Plan México and also reducing the trade deficit [with the United States], which is one of the concerns of President Trump,” Sheinbaum said.
“The trade deficit can be reduced through different mechanisms that don’t affect the economy of Mexico. So we’ve been making a series of proposals and we’ll present them here [at a later time], hoping that we reach an agreement,” she said.
United States President Donald Trump informed Sheinbaum in a July 11 letter that “starting August 1, 2025, we will charge Mexico a Tariff of 30% on Mexican products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs,” which currently apply to steel, aluminum, vehicles and auto parts.
“… Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done is, is not enough,” he wrote.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum said she would seek to speak to Trump about the proposed 30% tariff “if it’s necessary.”
“… We’re going to see whether the teams can find an agreement. … We’re confident we can reach a good agreement,” she said.
Sheinbaum touts 50% decline in US fentanyl seizures
Sheinbaum told reporters that the quantity of fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities at the Mexico-U.S. border has declined 50% since she took office last October.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that 4,367 pounds (1,981 kg) of fentanyl were seized at the Mexico-U.S. border in the first six months of 2025, a 54.7% decrease compared to the same period of last year.
Sheinbaum asserted that the decline in fentanyl seizures at the border — which can be used as a rough proxy to estimate the amount of fentanyl being smuggled into the United States from Mexico — is evidence that more of the synthetic opioid is being seized in Mexico.
That confiscated fentanyl — produced in Mexico by criminal organizations with precursor chemicals imported from China — doesn’t reach the United States, she stressed.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Tuesday that around 1.5 tonnes of fentanyl, “and more than 3.5 million fentanyl pills,” have been seized in Mexico since October.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum attributed fentanyl seizures in Mexico during her administration to “the entire security strategy,” which includes a greater emphasis on the use of intelligence and investigation to combat crime.
Claudia Sheinbaum dijo que desde octubre de 2024 a la fecha se ha reducido un 50% el tráfico de fentanilo a Estados Unidos. Algo reconocido por las instituciones de ese país.
She stressed that authorities are also cracking down on methamphetamine, which is also produced by criminal groups in clandestine labs.
García Harfuch said on Tuesday that authorities have dismantled 1,193 clandestine drug labs since the government took office in October.
Sheinbaum highlighted that figure on Thursday, and noted that the estimated financial impact on organized crime groups due to drug confiscations, the dismantling of labs and the arrest of suspected criminals during her administration is 43 billion pesos (US $2.3 billion).
“All of this is part of the work we’re doing, and, as we always say, we’re also seeking that, on the other side in the United States, they do their part” to combat the distribution of fentanyl and other drugs, she said.
Sheinbaum highlights ‘significant reduction’ in inflation
A reporter noted that Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate, as reported by national statistics agency INEGI, declined to 3.55% in the first half of July. That rate is within the Bank of Mexico’s tolerated range of 2-4%.
En la primera quincena de julio 2025, el Índice Nacional de Precios al Consumidor #INPC presentó un nivel de 140.731 y representó un aumento de 0.15% respecto a la quincena previa. Con este resultado, la inflación general anual fue de 3.55%.
Sheinbaum first said that beef, pork and chicken prices are “returning to their [normal] price” and helping to ease inflation.
The rate in the first half of the month represents a “significant reduction” in headline inflation, she said.
“It went from 4.13% to 3.55%,” Sheinbaum noted, referring in the first instance to the annual headline rate in the second half of June.
She said that the new inflation data gives the Bank of Mexico the “margin” required to continue lowering its key interest rate.
A continuation of the central bank’s easing cycle “will help us … increase investment” in Mexico, Sheinbaum said.
The Bank of Mexico has cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points after each of its board’s four monetary policy meetings this year. The rate is currently set at 8.0%, its lowest level in nearly three years.
The central bank’s next monetary policy meeting will take place on Aug. 7.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The suspects hoarded goods such as building materials and forced their victims to buy them at exorbitant prices. (X)
Federal and México state authorities have seized 52 properties and arrested eight people in a sweeping operation targeting an extortion network allegedly linked to the La Familia Michoacana cartel, officials said Tuesday.
Dubbed “Operation Liberation” — “Operación Liberación” in Spanish — the coordinated raid spanned 14 municipalities in the state, including Valle de Bravo, Malinalco, Ixtapan de la Sal and Texcaltitlán.
Among those arrested in Tuesday’s sweep was an Ixtapan de la Sal councilwoman, identified as Yareli “N,” detained “in compliance with an apprehension order, for the probable participation in the crime of express kidnapping for the purposes of extortion.” (México state government)
Federal and state forces deployed 2,866 personnel and 698 vehicles while executing simultaneous searches of businesses used for hoarding and selling construction materials, meat, animals and other goods at vastly inflated prices.
In a press release from the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, García Harfuch added that it was essential “to halt these practices that sought to control economic sectors, from food supplies to construction materials … [to] dismantle their operations, seize assets linked to crime and regain control of the territory for the benefit of the public.”
Among those arrested was Yareli “N,” a councilwoman from Ixtapan de la Sal, about 60 kilometers south from Toluca, the state’s capital, and leaders of the cartel’s management structure.
The perpetrators allegedly forced merchants and residents to buy products exclusively from cartel-controlled stores or face violence. Anyone purchasing from outside sellers was subject to robbery and threats, authorities said.
“Residents are unable to turn to other establishments,” said State Prosecutor José Luis Cervantes Martínez.
— Gobierno del Estado de México (@Edomex) July 23, 2025
Investigators said the group manipulated prices through fake labor unions and front businesses, as well as through mines, butcher shops, egg stores, and chicken and pig farms.
In one case, according to authorities, a ton of rebar was sold for 23,950 pesos (US $1,292) — 33.5% above the market rate in Mexico — while a kilogram of whole chicken fetched 115 pesos, 53% more than normal.
In Texcaltitlán, for example, customers paid a mandatory five-peso fee per kilo to weigh cattle, while in Tejupilco, the group monopolized package delivery, charging “illegal fees” and sometimes confiscating goods.
Seized assets include 4,174 poultry, 17,657 kilograms of feed, 3.9 tons of meat, 5,000 bags of cement, 128 vehicles and 18 exotic animals — including pumas, peacocks, swans and raccoons.
The 52 properties seized included six mines, 24 warehouses, a slaughterhouse, a ranch, a hotel and an unnamed number of butcher shops, chicken farms and lumberyards.
Officials pledged many materials would be distributed to benefit affected communities, while also saying that the operation is ongoing and will continue until all responsible parties are brought to justice.
The power company is selling off its Mexican assets, worth US $4.7 billion, as it seeks to exit Mexico. (Iberdrola)
Iberdrola, Europe’s largest power company, has hired investment bank Barclays to sell all 15 of its renewable energy plants in Mexico in an effort to exit the country, the Spanish news website El Confidencial reported Wednesday.
Citing anonymous sources close to the deal, El Confidencial said Iberdrola is looking to sell due to concern about Mexico’s financial and legal stability.
Six wind farms are among the assets that Iberdrola is selling through the investment bank Barclays. (Iberdrola)
The assets on offer — six wind farms, three solar photovoltaic plants and six cogeneration or combined cycle units — are valued at US $4.7 billion.
Before that sell-off, the Spanish firm was the largest private generator in Mexico, with more than 11,000 MW installed, providing more than 15% of the nation’s electricity.
By then, Iberdrola had been a frequent target of López Obrador, who sought to give state-owned electricity utility CFE majority control over the local power market.
After the 2023 transaction, Iberdrola insisted it would remain in Mexico, but El Universal columnist Mario Maldonado reported that the company lacked confidence in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s energy policies, which continue to prioritize the CFE, prompting the decision to pull out of Mexico.
Although Iberdrola declined to comment on its agreement with Barclays and its pending departure from Mexico, it did announce a capital increase of five billion euros (US $5.87 billion) to finance investments in electricity networks in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Over the next six years, Iberdrola plans to invest some 55 billion euros (US $64.7 billion) in electricity grids, more than 80% of which will be invested in the U.K. and the U.S.
Iberdrola president Ignacio Sánchez Galán described the plan as “an unprecedented investment opportunity,” according to the newspaper Reforma.
The motorcycle driver was reportedly employed by the Chinese ride-hailing app DiDi, which is Uber’s main competition in Mexico City. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
Companies offering ride-hailing services on motorcycles could face legal action, Mexico City authorities announced shortly after a crash resulted in the death of a passenger Wednesday morning.
The fatal accident took place on Paseo de la Reforma on Wednesday morning, temporarily closing the thoroughfare to traffic. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
The city’s Mobility Ministry (Semovi) released a statement on social media in response to the fatal accident, saying the motorcycle driver had been apprehended.
Critics immediately railed against the authorities for failing to act sooner, pointing out that — as Semovi affirmed in its statement — motorcycle ride-sharing is prohibited by law.
“These motorcycle applications have been around for months and you are just now going to take action,” responded an X user named Sury.
Another respondent complained that city authorities frequently suspend and sanction bus companies that violate laws, but never take action against ride-hailing companies.
Although Semovi insisted in its statement that it is “committed to making sure that public transportation options are safe and reliable,” motorcycle rides have been openly available on ride-hailing apps in Mexico City for more than a year.
DiDi’s website encourages motorcycle owners to “generate extra income with one of the lowest service fees on the market.” In Mexico City, a ride with DiDi Moto costs half of what a DiDi Express ride (a car) costs. (DiDi México)
The magazine Proceso pointed out that city authorities were blocked from taking legal action when a federal judge ruled earlier this month that the services were private, not public.
Semovi said it is difficult to determine if a motorcycle is offering ride-sharing services since they don’t display company logos.
Colombian firm Picap was the first company to offer motorcycle passenger services in Mexico City, according to the newspaper La Prensa. The newspaper Milenio reported that it had been operating in the capital since before September 2024.
In June, marketing magazine Merca 2.0 reported that Uber Moto was operating in 25 Mexican cities, including the capital, where demand had increased eight-fold since Uber began offering the motorcycle service.
Last year, Uber spokesman Esteban Illades promoted Uber Moto as a system that “offers more reliable and accessible solutions to all its residents.”
None of the motorcycle ride-sharing companies have issued a statement since the accident.
