Corporate titans under siege, drug cartels tighten grip on Mexican business landscape

Mexico’s largest corporations are increasingly finding themselves at the mercy of ruthless drug cartels.

These criminal organizations are not only demanding extortion payments but are also attempting to monopolize the sale, distribution, and pricing of essential goods across the country.

The perilous situation was underscored this week when Julio Almanza, the head of the business chambers’ federation in Tamaulipas—a region that borders Texas—gave a series of alarming television interviews detailing the rampant extortion faced by local businesses. “We are hostages to extortion demands, we are hostages of criminal groups,” he lamented in one of his last public statements. “Charging extortion payments has practically become the national sport in Tamaulipas.”

Tragically, only hours after voicing these concerns, Almanza was brutally shot and killed outside his offices in Matamoros, a city directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas. His assassination serves as a grim reminder that even well-known and high-ranking business leaders are not safe from the violent reach of organized crime.

As the situation spirals out of control, many in the business community are left wondering how to operate in an environment where fear and intimidation have become the norm.

The growing influence of drug gangs poses a significant threat not only to the economic stability of the region but also to the safety and security of its citizens.