Cancun, Q.R. — Cancun’s Mayor defends the city’s security figures after a councilman is accused of spreading false information. Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta says a local councilman has been spreading false numbers about insecurity, referring to his claims as “incorrect information”.
Mayor Peralta says crime rates are declining and urged people to not politicize the issue. Peralta stated that it is false that between five and six homicides are recorded daily in Cancun as the councilman publicly claimed a few days ago.
“I want to clarify the incorrect information provided by some council members. Council member Chucho Pool stated that there were between five and six homicides per day.
“That is completely false. We have seen a reduction of almost 50 percent from last year to this year. That doesn’t mean we should celebrate, but we are providing data that reflects the reality of what is happening,” she explained.
She says Cancun crime is on the decline while noting there are other areas where figures are on the rise. Peralta explained that numbers involving crimes such as extortion and business robberies are on the rise due to reports, not due to new events.
Some businesses have been extorted for years and are only now coming forward to file legal complaints. Such as the recent case involving José Gerardo “N”, who demanded monthly payments from five restaurants in four municipalities around the state. He collected 17,500 pesos a month from each restaurant for two years before the owner filed a complaint.
José Gerardo “N” was arrested August 3 in the state of Nayarit and returned to Quintana Roo. He is currently being investigated for extorting five other businesses.
Peralta explained that the increase in numbers is partly due to a growing culture of reporting. “They’re on the rise today because there’s reporting, because there’s trust in the authorities at all levels of security,” she said.
Mayor Peralta says reported crimes “are not going unpunished” due to the coordination efforts inside the State Attorney General’s Office.
She says the false information being spread severely affects the destination, not her government, and stressed that all levels of government are working in a coordinated manner.
She reported from January to July 2022, 2,012 homicides were recorded. During the same period in 2023 there were 229, in 2024, 186 reported incidences and in 2025, 115, which speaks to a 45 percent reduction.
“There is data being mentioned that is being politicized. Municipal security shouldn’t be politicized because it doesn’t harm a person, it doesn’t harm an administration, it harms a city and it harms all its citizens,” she said.
