Crime in Chiapas Goes Down / Oil Prices Higher in the US

Murders decrease in the state of Chiapas. President López Obrador informed today from Tapachula, Chiapas that high profile crimes in the state of Chiapas are decreasing thanks to coordinated works between state and federal authorities. At the moment, the most common crimes are kidnapping, pickpocketing, human trafficking and vehicle stealing. Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Minister of National Defense, notified that there is an average of 78 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants and that these are mostly concentrated in seven municipalities of the entity.

Seventeen people detained for journalist murders. The European Parliament recently condemned the threats, harassment and murders against journalists and human right defenders in Mexico. President López Obrador announced that he will send a report to the European legislators with the details and advancements in the investigation on the murders.

López Obrador assured that, regarding the five recently murdered journalists, already 17 suspects have been detained. Moreover, he said that next Thursday, a complete report on the investigation will be showed. He also highlighted that his administration deeply regrets the killings.

A couple of weeks ago, journalists, families and NGOs protested against the murders of Mexican journalists, a major issue that has lingered under López Obrador’s government. Since 2000, 150 journalist murders (138 men and 12 women) have been documented in the country, with motives possibly related to their work. Of the total, 47 were registered during the previous term of President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018) and 30 during the López Obrador administration (2018-2024). At the beginning of the year, Margarito Martínez, Lourdes Maldonado, José Luis Gamboa, Roberto Toledo and Heber López were also murdered in Tijuana.

US oil prices double those in Mexico. Since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, López Obrador promised that fuel prices in Mexico will not be affected. Today he touted that oil prices in the US double those in Mexico. He said the government has invested MX$30 billion in the rehabilitation of six refineries, the acquisition of Deer Park and the construction of Dos Bocas.

“Gas is being sold at MX$21 (US$1) per liter, which does not happen in other countries. In the US, the price is double.” López Obrador added that this is thanks to the rescue plan of the oil industry that began in 2018, focused on extracting more oil and refining raw materials in our country. The goal for the end of the year is to have oil and diesel self-sufficiency.

Nevertheless, experts say prices of gasoline and gas in all countries will be affected by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. On Monday, Brent oil traded at US$139 per barrel – its highest price since 2008. In addition, rising hydrocarbon prices are expected to outpace global inflation and interest rates. For Mexico, this would lead to an increase in the price of imports from the US. In 2021, the country imported an average of 460Mb/d. Despite the government's efforts to keep fuel prices down, experts say these will continue to rise every day. According to INEGI data, in February the price of fuel rose 8.49 percent, which is higher than the 7.28 percent annual inflation during the same period.