Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Over 130 illegally installed surveillance cameras have been removed from public poles in the state. The SSC (Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana) said to date, 134 have been taken down from public poles around the state.
Authorities began finding illegally installed cameras early in the year on poles along the federal highway. At the time, a majority of those cameras were reportedly installed by criminal gang leaders to monitor highway traffic and other gangs.
In April, authorities announced a state-wide sweep of public poles to locate illegally installed spy cameras. On Tuesday, the SSC (Secretariat of Citizen Security) reported locating 134 found illegally operating in public places.
The SSC says they dismantled all 134 unauthorized video surveillance cameras located so far this year in Quintana Roo. Members of the Secretariat of Citizen Security, in coordination with the Secretariat of the Navy, carried out an operation in various municipalities in Quintana Roo to identify and dismantle unauthorized video surveillance cameras.
These cameras were seized and made available to the legal department of the SSC. These types of devices installed in public spaces (poles or municipal or state infrastructure) must be officially authorized and registered.
Police say operating them without the proper permits can pose a risk to public privacy. For this reason, they are considered a potential threat to security and the current legal framework.
“So far in 2025, a total of 134 video surveillance cameras that are not registered with any official agency have been removed. The Secretariat of Citizen Security will continue its verification work to corroborate the status and legality of the remaining cameras installed in public spaces,” the SSC reported.
