Baja California Sur recorded no homicides during the week of June 8 to 14, 2025, according to the state’s public safety authority. The zero-homicide week is a notable data point for a state that has struggled with cartel violence and recorded 233 homicides in all of 2024.
BCS Homicide Rates Have Dropped Sharply Since 2021 Peak
The state’s violence problem peaked between 2017 and 2021, a period when turf wars between rival drug trafficking organizations turned Los Cabos into one of Mexico’s most dangerous municipalities. In 2017, the municipality of Los Cabos recorded a homicide rate that briefly ranked among the highest in the world, driven by conflict between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) over control of local drug distribution routes.
Since then, a combination of factors has pushed numbers down. Increased federal security deployments, the establishment of a permanent National Guard presence in the Los Cabos corridor, and shifting cartel dynamics all contributed to the decline. The state closed 2023 with roughly 220 homicides, and the 2024 total of 233 represented a slight uptick but remained well below the 2017 peak.
A full week with zero killings is uncommon but not unprecedented. Similar stretches occurred during early 2024. Still, they remain rare enough that state officials highlighted this one publicly. Daniel De la Rosa Anaya, the state secretary of public safety, presented the weekly crime report and confirmed the figure.
La Paz and Los Cabos Both Recorded Zero Killings
The zero-homicide count covered all five municipalities in Baja California Sur: La Paz, Los Cabos, Comondú, Loreto, and Mulegé. That distinction matters because violence in BCS has historically concentrated in two places: the Los Cabos tourist corridor and certain colonias in La Paz, the state capital.
Los Cabos, which includes both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, accounts for the majority of the state’s population and most of its homicides. La Paz, with a growing expat population along the Malecón and in surrounding beach communities like El Centenario and Todos Santos, has seen intermittent spikes tied to local drug distribution networks.
During the same week, BCS authorities reported 20 total crimes across the state. These included vehicle thefts, domestic violence incidents, and property crimes, but no homicides and no kidnappings. De la Rosa Anaya also noted that authorities arrested several individuals on outstanding warrants during the period.
Tourism Corridor Security Remains a State Priority
Security conditions in BCS directly affect the tourism economy that sustains the state. Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) handled over 6.4 million passengers in 2024, making it one of Mexico’s busiest airports for international arrivals. The hotel occupancy rate in the Los Cabos corridor regularly exceeds 75% during peak season, and the state government has made visible security a priority to protect that revenue stream.
Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío’s administration has maintained coordination with federal forces through the Mesa de Seguridad, a joint security table that meets regularly to coordinate operations between state police, the National Guard, the Mexican Navy (SEMAR), and federal prosecutors. The weekly crime reports that De la Rosa Anaya presents are a product of that coordination structure.
Property owners and long-term residents in communities like San José del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos, and La Paz have watched these numbers closely. Insurance costs, rental market confidence, and real estate valuations in BCS all correlate with perceived safety. The state’s ability to string together low-violence weeks strengthens the broader pitch that BCS is Mexico’s safest tourism state, a claim officials have made repeatedly since 2023.
The state’s next weekly security report will cover June 15 to 21 and will show whether the trend held. BCS authorities publish these figures each Monday through the state public safety office. This report was first published by El Sudcaliforniano.