Baja California’s state attorney general named Rubén Alfredo Maximiliano Ramos Jiménez as the new head of the High-Impact Homicide Investigations unit on Tuesday. State Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez announced the appointment, citing Ramos Jiménez’s 25-year career within the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), the state prosecutor’s office.
Ramos Jiménez has previously led regional prosecutor offices in San Quintín, Ensenada, and Tijuana. He most recently served as acting central prosecutor, a post he held since August 2025. His experience includes cases involving homicides, kidnappings, and vehicle theft.
A Critical Role in Baja California’s Most Violent State
The high-impact homicide unit is responsible for investigating the most serious killings across Baja California, a state that recorded 1,708 homicides in 2025 according to data from the Baja California Secretariat of Public Safety. The vast majority of those deaths occurred in Tijuana, where organized crime and drug trafficking drive much of the violence.
Andrade Ramírez described the appointment as part of a broader strategy to strengthen high-demand investigative units within the FGE. The move comes months after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum visited Tijuana in early 2026 and announced that homicides and other serious crimes in Baja California had fallen to their lowest daily average in nine years.
Progress Mixed With Persistent Concerns
Despite the reported decline, public concern about safety remains high. A December 2025 National Urban Public Safety Survey found that 67% of adults in Tijuana said they felt unsafe. FGE officials have acknowledged that the vast majority of the state’s homicides are linked to illicit activities such as drug dealing.
Ramos Jiménez replaces the previous head of the homicide division. A May 2024 report from Fox 5 San Diego identified Miguel Ángel Gaxiola as then holding that position. It is not clear whether Ramos Jiménez directly succeeds Gaxiola or an interim appointee.
The appointment was first reported by Punto Norte.