The Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) announced that prosecutors in its Central Zone division secured 13 guilty verdicts for theft crimes between January and March 2026. The convictions, covering the municipalities of La Paz and Comondú, resulted in a combined 61 years of prison time.
Convictions Cover Multiple Theft Categories
The 13 cases span several categories of property crime, including residential burglary, commercial robbery, and street robbery. The average sentence came out to roughly 4.7 years per conviction. All cases were handled by prosecutors assigned to the PGJE’s Central Zone, which covers the central portion of Baja California Sur from Comondú south to La Paz.
Comondú municipality includes the agricultural towns of Ciudad Constitución and Ciudad Insurgentes along the Transpeninsular Highway. La Paz, the state capital, is the largest city in the Central Zone and home to a sizable community of foreign residents.
PGJE Says Results Target Impunity
The PGJE said the results represent a commitment to reducing impunity for property crimes. In Mexico, impunity rates for common crimes remain high. A 2024 national survey by INEGI, Mexico’s statistics agency, estimated that more than 90% of crimes nationwide go unreported or unpunished. Against that backdrop, 13 convictions in a single quarter for a single crime category in two municipalities is a notable output for a state-level prosecutor’s office.
Property crime is the most commonly reported offense in Baja California Sur. Theft affects both Mexican residents and the foreign community, particularly in La Paz, where break-ins targeting homes and vehicles are a recurring concern on local social media groups. The PGJE noted that these crimes directly impact household finances and community security.
Central Zone Versus Los Cabos
The announcement specifically covers the Central Zone. It does not include figures from the PGJE’s Southern Zone, which handles Los Cabos, the state’s most populous and tourist-heavy municipality. Separate reporting on prosecution results in Los Cabos was not included in the release. The distinction matters because crime patterns and caseloads differ significantly between the two regions. Los Cabos typically sees higher volumes of reported theft due to its larger population and tourism economy.
The PGJE did not name individual defendants or provide details on specific cases in this announcement. It is unclear how many of the 13 convictions resulted from plea agreements versus full trials.
This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.