Overview

• Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda unveiled the State Coordinating Center for Anti-Extortion on August 5 to align Baja California with President Sheinbaum’s national strategy.
• Special squads will focus on fraud under Article 218 and extortion under Article 224 of the state penal code with flexible staffing adjusted to municipal crime patterns.
• The federal prosecutor’s office has deployed signal-blocking technology in Baja California penitentiaries to prevent prison-based telephone scams, despite no local cases emerging to date.
• Authorities will pursue extortion and fraud ex officio, eliminating the need for victims to file formal complaints or travel for testimony.
• Joint operations by state security, the FGR and penitentiary authorities have led to 17 detentions for extortion so far in 2025.