Mexico organized crime and political collusion

In early July, reports highlighted police misconduct and the dominance of organized crime groups in Cuautla, underscoring how criminal networks were able to influence local law‑enforcement actions. By the end of the month, attention shifted to Veracruz, where criminal organizations forged explicit alliances with political parties such as Movimiento Ciudadano, the PAN and the MC. These partnerships enabled cartels, notably the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, to secure smuggling corridors, control municipal finances, public‑works contracts and police forces, while politicians gained electoral footholds. The later coverage also noted a broader rise in low‑level, “amateur” street crime across Latin America, exemplified by an Argentine commentary on moto‑thefts and opportunistic robberies, indicating that both high‑level criminal‑political collusion and grassroots violence are intensifying in the region.