A recent opinion piece from the Mexican newspaper El Universal turns its attention to Morelos, a state just south of Mexico City, where the intertwining of organized crime and local politics—often referred to as “narco-politics”—has become a growing source of alarm.
According to the column, the situation in Morelos reflects a broader pattern seen across parts of Mexico: criminal groups extending their influence beyond drug trafficking into extortion rackets that squeeze local business owners and residents, while also working to co-opt or intimidate politicians and public officials. The result, the piece argues, is a climate of fear and instability that undermines both public safety and trust in local government.
Morelos, known to many outsiders mainly for its colonial capital of Cuernavaca and its warm climate, has struggled in recent years with waves of violence tied to competing criminal factions. The column suggests that these dynamics are not isolated incidents but part of a deeper, systemic problem where criminal money and muscle shape political outcomes at the local level.
For the full analysis and the author’s detailed take on how narco-politics is reshaping Morelos, you can read the original column at El Universal.
Source: Narcopolítica, violencia y extorsión sacuden Morelos (eluniversal.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: alisdare1, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).