Kidnap Risk In Mexico
Soft Targets & Reputation Management
In most Western nations, kidnapping is a rare, and usually become headline grabbing anomalies. In Mexico and parts of Latin America, it is an simply andestablished, high margin business sector.
Previously, I may have said its not something to worry about much in Mexico, but considering the World Cup is here…high profile visitor or a high net-worth expats are targets. The citi’s overall criminal adaptions for the world cup may spark continued versions down the line
You dont need to be invincible…You just need to be aware.
To understand the current threat, one must look at the historical professionalization of the trade.
The kidnapping boom of the 1990s wasn’t driven by street thugs; it was mainly driven by rogue elements of the judicial police and the Federales in Mexico. These guys brought military grade surveillance and tactical precision to the Industry of the Secuestro.
They realized that the state’s inefficiency was their greatest asset. Today, while the actors have changed from cartel affiliated cells to freelance Express Kidnapping crew, the ideas stay the same.
The latin system allows for a certain level of managed chaos.
The Game
Kidnapping in the 2026 exists on a spectrum of operational sophistication. I try to remind people, that criminal elements in Mexico can often have extremely deep pockets to aquire the resources needed for their operations.
The first and most common is..
