Crime rate

Again central Florida had 200 murders in 2015 did the USA put out a travel warning for Disney Land? A little while before I moved here from Florida 3 men ( idiots ) got in a argument over who would pay for gas in the monster truck , proceeded to pull guns and shoot each other right up the road from my house. My neighbor was robbed also right before I left , believe me I have been here 5 months and feel much safer. I don't live in that area so maybe some one else can respond to your specific request for info.

Thank you for your quick response. They said they found a mass grave in Cabo San Lucas with over 200 bodies.  Cartels are having turf wars through out the country even SMA.
Is there an area that you would recommend?

I am more afraid of the three idiots up the street at a gas station shooting it out than I am the cartel. There are members on this forum who live in the areas that you mentioned, I am sure they will reply. Also there is another active thread on the forum right now about crime with more responses you should check out.

BZROAD wrote:

We have been hearing on the news that in 2017 the crime rate in Rosarito/Ensenada/Cabo has gone up 130%. They say that it is now the murder capitol of Mexico. We have been planning our retirement to the Ensenada area. This sounds very frightening.
So I'm asking the Expats in the area if they feel safe? Are you safe in your communities? All crimes across the board are up. We just heard tonight (August 24) that the State Department is recommending not to travel to Mexico at all. Considering that many honest Mexican citizens make their money from tourism this is really sad.
I would like some input from people living there.
Thanks

The whole word is unsettled to some extent due to corruption everywhere more or less, especially in the U.S. Mexico has always had some level of corruption. It's wise that you seek non U.S. sources to answer your concerns. U.S. sources are definitely not reliable. Some departments are not even staffed there and some important agencies have been eliminated completely.  Agencies are being headed by people with no experience at all, and a personal financial gain agenda.
In Mexico  guns are illegal except those obtained from the police , licensed by the government and used to hunt or target shooting. Very few people take advantage of that because its a costly hobby. In the U.S. anyone can have a gun and a very large number do. I n Mexico you can feel safe going to a mall without worries about getting shot in the U.S. that is not so. If you are a person of color in the U.S. there is a high risk that you might  be killed just walking down the street. That is most unlikely in Mexico.

Do things happen?, of course, there was a violet episode during a light show in the Playa, and Cancun area, well over a month ago. When you add drinking, crowds and possible drugs the potential for that increases any where. It didn't last long and the police shut it down. In the U.S. white supremacists intimidated and threatened people with guns even following them in to churches and a girl was run over and killed. The police did little.  So do I feel safer in Mexico, oh yes.

Those that live in the area you are interested in will likely respond soon. I have heard many say how much they love it there. Try to get you news reports from other than the U.S. if you want the truth.

BZROAD wrote:

Thank you for your quick response. They said they found a mass grave in Cabo San Lucas with over 200 bodies.  Cartels are having turf wars through out the country even SMA.
Is there an area that you would recommend?

Cartels are always having turf wars, just like gangs in the U.S. and for hate, domestic terrorists in the U.S.

Have you ever wondered why Mexico has cartels at all. The answer is the U.S. During WW2. The U.S needed a cheap source for drugs for the wounded soldiers. The U.S. paid Mexico to grow those drugs, Heroin mostly.

Mexico was paid by the U.S to produce drugs. After the war the U.S. didn't want drugs from Mexico any more. The poor of Mexico had a steady income that was suddenly cut off. Yet the U.S. was still seeking drugs , and so we have cartels fighting to supply those drugs. The American Midwest is currently deliberately drug addicted. Only those drugs come to the U.S from The D.R. through Florida not over the border so much. And M.J. which should have never been illegal, is now produced to some extent in the U.S

Once again the income source is disrupted and it causes gang wars.  Those mass graves you read about may or may not be true, but tourist being involved in any way is highly unlikely unless they are involved in the drug trade.  There are graves and people hung from trees in the U.S. They just don't talk about that much. Those people were not killed because of a turf wars. They were killed because of bigotry, racism, and hate. Things that bystanders are much more likely to be killed in.

BZROAD wrote:

We just heard tonight (August 24) that the State Department is recommending not to travel to Mexico at all. Considering that many honest Mexican citizens make their money from tourism this is really sad.
I would like some input from people living there.
Thanks

The only warning on the 24th of August was to avoid the areas where the hurricane was expected to land, which is not all of Mexico.

Please read the new State Department update that just came out on August 22. They talk about US citizens being murdered and kidnapped. Also, US news article dated August 23 " US Government expands Mexico travel warning".
I'm sure this is why it's been all over the news this week. Funny thing is when I try to research who was murdered from the US and where, I can't find anything. I find plenty gruesome articles about Mexican's that have been killed. The State Department says US citizens have been killed, but no specifics.
This is why I came to this forum, to ask the people that are living there. Certainly you would be the one's with the most knowledge.
Still no word from folks in Ensenada.

I would suggest you go to the State Department website directly.  It lists specific places that you may want to avoid, but not all of Mexico.

Jalisco (includes Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Lake Chapala): U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to areas that border the states of Michoacán and Zacatecas because of continued instability. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from personal travel to areas of Jalisco that border Zacatecas, intercity travel after hours, and from using Highway 80 between Cocula and La Huerta. U.S. government personnel are authorized to use Federal toll road 15D for travel to Mexico City; however, they may not stop in the town of La Barca or Ocotlan for any reason.

Mexico City (formerly known as the Federal District): No advisory is in effect.

Michoacan (includes Morelia): U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to the state of Michoacan, except the cities of Morelia and Lazaro Cardenas, and the area north of federal toll road 15D. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling by land in Michoacan except on federal toll road 15D during daylight hours. Flying into Morelia and Lazaro Cardenas is permitted for U.S. government personnel.

Morelos (includes Cuernavaca): U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel on any roads between Huitzilac in the northwest corner of the state and Santa Martha, Estado de Mexico, including the Lagunas de Zempoala National Park and surrounding areas.

Nayarit (includes the Riviera Nayarit coast, including the cities of Tepic, Xalisco, and San Blas): U.S. government personnel may travel to Riviera Nayarit, San Blas, Santa María del Oro, Tepic, and Xalisco using major highways. Intercity travel at night is prohibited for U.S. government personnel. Defer non-essential travel to other areas of the state.

Nuevo Leon (includes Monterrey): U.S. government personnel may travel outside the city of Monterrey only during daylight hours on toll roads. Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., U.S. government personnel must abide by the Embassy-imposed curfew and remain within the municipal boundaries of San Pedro Garza Garcia or Santa Catarina (south of the Santa Catarina river). Travel to and from Monterrey airport is permitted at any time.

Oaxaca (includes Oaxaca, Huatulco, and Puerto Escondido): U.S. government personnel must remain in tourist areas and are not allowed to use public transportation in Oaxaca City. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling on Highway 200 throughout the state, except to transit between the airport in Huatulco to hotels in Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, and they are not permitted to travel to the El Istmo region. The El Istmo region is defined by Highway 185D to the west, Highway 190 to the north, and the Oaxaca/Chiapas border to the east and includes the towns of Juchitan de Zaragoza, Salina Cruz, and San Blas.

Puebla: No advisory is in effect.

Queretaro: No advisory is in effect.

Quintana Roo (includes Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, and Tulum): U.S. citizens should be aware that according to Government of Mexico statistics, the state of Quintana Roo experienced an increase in homicide rates compared to 2016. While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured or killed, have occurred.

San Luis Potosi: U.S. government personnel may travel outside the city of San Luis Potosi only during daylight hours on toll roads. Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., U.S. government personnel must abide by the Embassy-imposed curfew and remain within the city of San Luis Potosi.

Sinaloa (includes Mazatlan): One of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations is based in the state of Sinaloa, and violent crime rates remain high in many parts of the state. Defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa, except the cities of Mazatlan, Los Mochis, and the Port of Topolobampo. Travel in Mazatlan should be limited to Zona Dorada, the historic town center, as well as direct routes to and from these locations and the airport. Travel in Los Mochis and Topolobampo is restricted to the city and the port, as well as direct routes to/from these locations and the airport.

Sonora (includes Nogales, Puerto Peñasco, Hermosillo, and San Carlos): Sonora is a key region in the international drug and human trafficking trades. U.S. citizens traveling throughout Sonora are encouraged to limit travel to main roads during daylight hours and exercise caution on the Highway 15 corridor from Nogales to Empalme. Puerto Peñasco should be visited using the Lukeville, Arizona/Sonoyta, Sonora border crossing, and limit driving to daylight hours.

Due to illegal activity, U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to:

The triangular region west of Nogales, east of Sonoyta, and north of Caborca (including the towns of Saric, Tubutama, and Altar).
The eastern edge of the state of Sonora, which borders the state of Chihuahua (all points along that border east of Federal Highway 17, the road between Moctezuma and Sahuaripa, and state Highway 20 between Sahuaripa and the intersection with Federal Highway 16).
South of Hermosillo, with the exception of the cities of Alamos, Guaymas, and Empalme.  Defer non-essential travel east of Highway 15, within the city of Ciudad Obregon, and south of the city of Navojoa.
Tabasco (includes Villahermosa): No advisory is in effect.

Tamaulipas (includes Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Tampico): U.S. citizens should defer all non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas due to violent crime, including homicide, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault. The number of reported kidnappings in Tamaulipas is among the highest in Mexico. State and municipal law enforcement capacity is limited to nonexistent in many parts of Tamaulipas. Violent criminal activity occurs more frequently along the northern border and organized criminal groups may target public and private passenger buses traveling through Tamaulipas. These groups sometimes take all passengers hostage and demand ransom payments.  U.S. government personnel are subject to movement restrictions and a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m. Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Victoria have experienced numerous gun battles and attacks with explosive devices in the past year.

Tlaxcala: No advisory is in effect.

Veracruz: U.S. government personnel must remain in tourist areas and are not allowed to use public transportation. Road travel should be limited to daylight hours only.

Yucatan (includes Merida and Chichen Itza): No advisory is in effect.

Zacatecas: U.S. government personnel may travel outside the city of Zacatecas only during daylight hours on toll roads. Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., U.S. government personnel must abide by the Embassy-imposed curfew and remain within the city of Zacatecas.

For further information:

See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Mexico.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
Contact the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, located at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, at +52-55-5080- 2000 x4440, (5080-2000 for calls in Mexico City, 01-55-5080-2000 for long distance calls in Mexico) 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  After- hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +52-55-5080-2000.
Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Embassies & Consulates
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U.S. Embassy Mexico City
Paseo de la Reforma 305
Colonia Cuauhtemoc
Mexico, D.F., Mexico C.P. 06500

Telephone: 011-
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Well there's a new one ! A state government being vague. One young lady died in Cancun from drinking and it is all over the USA news channels, but oops they forgot to report about all the USA tourists murders!

Mel01 wrote:

Well there's a new one ! A state government being vague. One young lady died in Cancun from drinking and it is all over the USA news channels, but oops they forgot to report about all the USA tourists murders!

She died from drinking a Red Bull cocktail, but I guess that you missed that. There are few murders of tourists unless they are involved in the drug trade or involved in other crimes, but I  guess that you missed that also.

Joaquinx , sorry my whole post was sarcastic. My point was all the press on the single girls death but the poster can't find specific press on ( again sarcasm) all the tourists murders here. There have been a few of course as there are everywhere.

We need a way to label sarcasm on this site lol

'Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit' as the saying goes.
However please stick to the subject of the post.

We need a sarcasm font.

Warnings to pay attention to :
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/wor … /88458238/

I was sticking to the subject of the post , it was about a government ( USA) warning about crime in Mexico. I don't honestly know any other way but sarcasm to respond, it is so ridiculous, I didn't mean it as wit ( seriously). Never thought of Mark Twains or Will Rogers wit as low .

yes those are warnings posted by other countries about the U.S. As for sarcasm, whats wrong with  ?

I think the subject is mislabeled, it is actually fear of danger, and violence that the poster is talking about not specific crime rate numbers. Correct me if I am wrong BZROAD.

Exactly. Yes there are some scary things happening in the good ole USA and if I were Muslim I would think twice about coming here. I live in a very open minded area of Southern California and we get along with all cultures and the LGBT community. Nobody is treated as if they are different, or that they don't belong.
But my original question was,"Is the violence in Mexico as bad as the news has been reporting"? It says that just one city alone ( PV ) is averaging 7 murders daily and that American and Canadians have been caught in the cross fire in broad daylight. Along with the murders...what about auto theft, kidnapping and break ins?
I just keep getting answers back about how crappy the US has become. This isn't where I want to retire!
I'm not looking for confirmation that all of Mexico has become scary and unwelcoming. I would like to hear from actual people living in Northern Baja, Puerto Escondido or Oaxaca.
By the way, travelight, I looked at Campeche and it's become very expensive. Love the area but can't pay the rent that they want. We are trying to retire on $2200 a month.
We were one of many thousands that got slammed in the recession. Lost our retirement and couldn't get paid on a very large contract by a developer worth millions. He pulled a Trump on us.

BZROAD wrote:

Exactly. Yes there are some scary things happening in the good ole USA and if I were Muslim I would think twice about coming here. I live in a very open minded area of Southern California and we get along with all cultures and the LGBT community. Nobody is treated as if they are different, or that they don't belong.
But my original question was,"Is the violence in Mexico as bad as the news has been reporting"? It says that just one city alone ( PV ) is averaging 7 murders daily and that American and Canadians have been caught in the cross fire in broad daylight. Along with the murders...what about auto theft, kidnapping and break ins?
I just keep getting answers back about how crappy the US has become. This isn't where I want to retire!
I'm not looking for confirmation that all of Mexico has become scary and unwelcoming. I would like to hear from actual people living in Northern Baja, Puerto Escondido or Oaxaca.
By the way, travelight, I looked at Campeche and it's become very expensive. Love the area but can't pay the rent that they want. We are trying to retire on $2200 a month.
We were one of many thousands that got slammed in the recession. Lost our retirement and couldn't get paid on a very large contract by a developer worth millions. He pulled a Trump on us.

Hi BZRoad.
I'm not sure where you got your figures on Campeche, but I pay the USD equivalent of what I paid for a condo in the U.S. $850.00 then electric every 2 months which is usually $1,400 Mx.  I think what people are trying to do is to get you to stop getting all of you information from the U.S. It's sad , but they do not ell the truth. They take a incident and grossly exaggerate it or actually falsify a story.

If you want to know anything about  Mexico, the U.S. is your most unreliable source. It's a little research time on your part, but look at the member list, see who lives where you want to go and ask them directly. Perhaps the title of your original post has them not paying attention because crime rates is not something they are interested in.

Ok I just spent 20 minutes looking for anything with specific names, dates of murder or crime involving Americans in Mexico recently. All I got was the one girl who died at the all inclusive resort. Everyone of the  recent newspapers I pulled up just references the travel alerts mentioned above , put out by the USA government. I'm here at Lake Chapala and we go into Guadalajara. I have heard of a couple of robberies here in Chapala area and I think a murder several years ago. Guadalajara we walk around city center at night no problem. We get the Guadalajara Newspaper and I haven't read of any murder of tourists in Puerto Vallarta or Guadalajara? I just would like to know where are the facts ? Americans Names , dates, exact places please? In the recent past . Maybe I am just down here and missed all the news ?

travellight wrote:

If you want to know anything about  Mexico, the U.S. is your most unreliable source. It's a little research time on your part, but look at the member list, see who lives where you want to go and ask them directly. Perhaps the title of your original post has them not paying attention because crime rates is not something they are interested in.

Travellight has described the "Chicken Little Effect" very well. Just because a newspaper reports on one crime does not mean that there are shoot-outs on every street corner.

There was an Irish tourist murdered here in Michoacan last week,his American girlfriend escaped without injury.After reading the facts of the case to me in was absolutely suicidal what those two did,First thing what are tourists doing in Lazaro Cardenas,in a 60,000 dollar pick up,looking for directions at a gas station.to me that just screams im rich and lost,and to make matters worse the guy resisted the assailants demands and was duly shot and killed as the two men made off in the rental vehicle.I have lived in Michoacan for two years,never had a problem and plan on limiting the chances of having one,just got to use your head relative to where you are.This was a prime example of not using your head relative to where you are.Fairly normal senario in the Usa and Ireland to stop at a gas station in a big new pick up admitting your lost,not here,not for me.

stinkyboy1 wrote:

There was an Irish tourist murdered here in Michoacan last week,his American girlfriend escaped without injury.After reading the facts of the case to me in was absolutely suicidal what those two did,First thing what are tourists doing in Lazaro Cardenas,in a 60,000 dollar pick up,looking for directions at a gas station.to me that just screams im rich and lost,and to make matters worse the guy resisted the assailants demands and was duly shot and killed as the two men made off in the rental vehicle.I have lived in Michoacan for two years,never had a problem and plan on limiting the chances of having one,just got to use your head relative to where you are.This was a prime example of not using your head relative to where you are.Fairly normal senario in the Usa and Ireland to stop at a gas station in a big new pick up admitting your lost,not here,not for me.

I think where you are at is the big issue. It would be a big risk to stop in parts of La, El Monte, Market street in S.F. or LA.  You must know your area everywhere.

I have stopped at gas stations for gas and directions many times, but not at just any gas station, and not in some areas at all. In Washington I made sure I had gas so I could just drive through Tacoma. I knew stopping there was a risk. With the gang activity increases in the Michocan area I would do the same. Know where you are safety wise.

Thanks for all of the input and advice. As you all know to sell all your belonging and say goodbye to friends and family is a big deal.
I'm glad that I checked here to get another perspective. You all seem to feel safe and enjoy the areas that you call home.
Time to just start looking in Mexico and assume the best.
As for the info on Campeche, the only information I can find on rentals is on the Internet Real Estate sites and they only had a couple. So TRAVELLIGHT if you have any advice on what up to date sites might have rentals in your area could you please forward?
Thank you
BZROAD

BZROAD wrote:

Thanks for all of the input and advice. As you all know to sell all your belonging and say goodbye to friends and family is a big deal.
I'm glad that I checked here to get another perspective. You all seem to feel safe and enjoy the areas that you call home.
Time to just start looking in Mexico and assume the best.
As for the info on Campeche, the only information I can find on rentals is on the Internet Real Estate sites and they only had a couple. So TRAVELLIGHT if you have any advice on what up to date sites might have rentals in your area could you please forward?
Thank you
BZROAD

You are running into the be there an look problem, which you will have to some extent throughout Mexico. The agent I originally used went back to England.   The big names like Century21 are American salesmen.

What the people do is explore areas they are interested in and call the numbers on the signs. My friend who is bi lingual has been in 3 different houses in the last 6 years. I sometimes ride around with him looking at properties. That is how I found a garage for my car, which is much harder to do than find a house.

I will ask him what he advises. It is a face to face country. The agencies are often just looking for vacation properties to promote for top dollars. Pick out a hotel , then look for properties is the best solution . i will be having lunch with my friend tomorrow and I will ask him what he thinks.

BZROAD
What my friend said "I look in the newspaper and on the Internet at face there is a page called Logwood ahi auction houses out ads " face is facebook. Newspaper is local newspaper , in Spanish, I don't know logwood but it might be worth looking at.And there is physically looking.

Buena suerte

stinkyboy1 wrote:

There was an Irish tourist murdered here in Michoacan last week,his American girlfriend escaped without injury.After reading the facts of the case to me in was absolutely suicidal what those two did,First thing what are tourists doing in Lazaro Cardenas,in a 60,000 dollar pick up,looking for directions at a gas station.to me that just screams im rich and lost,and to make matters worse the guy resisted the assailants demands and was duly shot and killed as the two men made off in the rental vehicle.I have lived in Michoacan for two years,never had a problem and plan on limiting the chances of having one,just got to use your head relative to where you are.This was a prime example of not using your head relative to where you are.Fairly normal senario in the Usa and Ireland to stop at a gas station in a big new pick up admitting your lost,not here,not for me.

So I talked to my friend, because I was not familiar with the area you mentioned. He agrees completely with you. He said that is probably the most dangerous place in Mexico. To go there he said is like you just wanted to see what a most dangerous place looked like.

So once again know where you are like you should do in any country.

Here is a warning from the U.K. About the USA:
The U.K. government has updated foreign travel advice, warning British citizens about risks visiting America's Southern states.
Specifically the new advice draws attention to potential difficulties for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.
"The U.S. is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country," the U.K. Foreign Office website says.

The U.K. Should probably add a few races and religions to that warning as well. Case in point the 2 young Indian engineers shot recently in hate crime.

Hey now,yall quit picking on the South.

stinkyboy1 wrote:

Hey now,yall quit picking on the South.

You just have to admit that there are parts of the south that are about as safe as Lazaro Cardenas. Unsafe places everywhere especially for some people. People do need to know these things.

There are parts of Birmingham that make Lazaro Cardenas look appealing.And are especially unsafe for some people.

stinkyboy1 wrote:

There are parts of Birmingham that make Lazaro Cardenas look appealing.And are especially unsafe for some people.

Exactly, also true of La, L.A. S.F etc.  I have a colleague who is black and wouldn't let me go into some parts of L.A. without her. I worked in a hospital in Oakland where a woman's dead body was found in the parking lot, and I know the safest place in NOLA is the french quarter. And my daughter just missed being in a mall shooting in a city near Tacoma a few years ago.

Knowing those things makes me feel pretty safe in most parts of Mexico.

As far as the UK travel advisory goes,If for some bizarre reason some folks from the LGBT decide to vacation in Wetumpka Alabama things may not go as smoothly as planned,I'm sure they are aware of that.If the U.K. Deem it necessary to advertise that,thats their business I guess.

Does any one know the safety in living in Puerta Peñasco ? We are thinking about moving to this area .

Darlene10 wrote:

Does any one know the safety in living in Puerta Peñasco ? We are thinking about moving to this area .

I assume you mean puerto penasco or 'rocky point' which is in Sonora state, which has a hot/ cold reputation
Currently it's probably much safer than the U.S. There were some issues in 2012, but I have not heard of any recent problems.
My friends family lives in Rosarito and they say that  area has been pretty stable. I never get my information from the U.S. state department, just Mexico and the people of Mexico..

My friend says  "It is not as bad as sinaloa, but I do not think it's a good idea to go on vacation there" So if he doesnt think its a good place to vacation , then it isn't the best place to live. You might want to look at Playa, or Rosarito.

Thank you for the info. I guess it is really not safe anywhere.