Marcela Figueroa Franco presents homicide figures by state at the presidential press conference

Mexico Reports 52 Percent Reduction in Homicides; September Registers Lowest for That Month Since 2015

ByAnahí Del Ángel

This article by Anahí Del Ángel originally appeared in the October 13, 2026 edition of Contralínea, Mexico’s leading investigative journalism magazine.

The daily average of intentional homicides in Mexico decreased by 52 percent between September 2024 and September 2026, as reported by Marcela Figueroa Franco, head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System. The official presented a decrease from 86.9 to 42.2 homicides per day, equivalent to approximately 45 fewer intentional homicides per day.

While presenting the results of the National Public Security Strategy during the presidential press conference on October 13, led by Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, she highlighted that September 2026 registered the lowest daily average of intentional homicides for that month since 2015, according to national records.

Regarding territorial distribution, the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) reported that seven states concentrated nearly half of the intentional homicides registered in the country between January and September 2026.

Baja California topped the list, with 8.5 percent of the national total, followed by Guanajuato, also with 8.5 percent, although with three fewer homicides than the first state. In third place was Chihuahua, with 7.8 percent, while Sinaloa concentrated 7.7 percent.

The State of Mexico was in fifth position, with 6.4 percent of the national total; Guerrero, sixth, with 5.7 percent, and Morelos, seventh, with 5.2 percent.

For his part, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported that, as part of the federal strategy, between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2026, more than 70,500 people were arrested for their alleged participation in high-impact crimes.

During that period, security forces seized 36,300 firearms and 569 tons of drugs. Among the seizures, more than two tons of fentanyl and 9,553,000 pills of this substance were reported.

The secretary also reported that the Mexican Army and the Secretariat of the Navy disabled 2,792 clandestine laboratories and concentration areas used for the production of synthetic drugs in 24 states.

In the fight against cocaine trafficking, García Harfuch highlighted the strengthening of the Secretariat of the Navy’s maritime surveillance operations, through which more than 93 tons of this drug have been seized.

Another of the crimes addressed during the presentation was extortion. The official noted that, since the implementation of the National Strategy against Extortion on July 6, 2025, and until September 30, 2026, 2,170 people allegedly related to this crime were arrested in 24 states of the country.

According to García Harfuch, these actions seek to stop threats, the collection of protection payments, and other forms of extortion against merchants, transporters, and producers.