Overview

• Official FGR figures show 344 minors aged 10–12 detained this year in Sonora for links to organized crime
• Investigative files from the state’s justice ministry record only 37 minors in criminal investigations, revealing a major data gap
• Delegate Francisco Sergio Méndez has proposed tripling prison terms for anyone found recruiting or using children in cartel operations
• Authorities report some children are trafficked from other states and forced to accompany armed groups or operate terror vehicles
• Officials cite family violence and lack of social support as key drivers pushing vulnerable children into cartel networks