During the first quarter of 2026, 207 investigations into drug dealing were opened in Chiapas, representing a 17 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to data from the State Attorney General’s Office.
Official figures detail that 55 investigations were opened in January, 65 in February, and 87 in March, reflecting an upward trend month after month. Furthermore, since the beginning of the current state administration in December 2024, and through March 2026, a total of 852 investigations for this crime have been accumulated.
During that same period, authorities reported the seizure of 2,025,053 doses of drugs, as well as the arrest of 668 people; of these, 661 were caught in the act and seven more were arrested by court order.
By municipality, Tapachula leads the list with 268 investigations, followed by Tuxtla Gutiérrez with 145, San Cristóbal de las Casas with 49, Villaflores with 46, and Huixtla with 35.
According to information from the Attorney General’s Office itself, municipalities such as Villaflores, Cintalapa, Jiquipilas, and Ocozocoautla are experiencing a growing dispute between criminal groups for control of drug sales, collectively accumulating more than one hundred investigations.
“Drug dealing has undoubtedly become an attractive factor for criminal groups; it has also become a point of contention among them for control of drug sales in the municipalities,” stated Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, the state’s Attorney General.
This context of violence was recently reflected on April 12, when four men were shot and killed inside a bar in the municipality of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa. Authorities indicated that the motive for the attack was a dispute over drug dealing.
Furthermore, this incident is related to similar events in the region, such as the one that occurred on December 28 in Villaflores, where an armed group entered in cloned patrol cars, set fire to two bars, and kidnapped eight people, who were later found dead in Cintalapa.
“In Ocozocoautla, this is an event linked to this type of activity (…) and it is also related to what happened in Villaflores, where the motive was a dispute over street-level drug sales,” the prosecutor concluded.
Source: oem
