The Global Advisor Kidnap & extortive crime | October 2025
Americas
Mexico’s kidnapping hotspots, such as the states of Sinaloa, Nuevo Leon and the state of Mexico, witnessed significant increases in the number of verified cases during the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. This pattern remains consistent despite an uptick in security operations conducted by the armed forces. However, such actions have mainly impacted small kidnapping gangs, whereas the capabilities of major organised criminal groups remain largely unchanged. Moreover, security operations have produced little impact on virtual kidnapping cases, as the number of incidents remained consistent with the previous quarter and was 11% higher than the same period in 2024. The US became the main hotspot of crypto- related cases in the Americas, recording 25% more incidents during the third quarter of 2025 than throughout the whole of 2024. This trend will likely persist over the one-year outlook as the opportunity for significantly higher financial gains compared to conventional currency cases will continue to make kidnappers target individuals holding cryptocurrencies or working in the sector. Cases verified by Control Risks suggest that perpetrators are likely to target victims at their homes and hold them captive there for protracted periods. Additionally, victims are likely to experience severe physical violence if they refuse to comply with the kidnappers’ demands. Control Risks did not record significant changes in the number of cases recorded in Ecuador over the first three quarters of 2025. The Guayas, Pichincha and Los Ríos provinces remained the national hotspots, accounting for almost 66% of all cases in the country in Q3 2025. Moreover, Santo Domingo and Esmeraldas also registered considerable increases compared with the previous quarter. Moreover, Control Risks did
not observe any significant changes in the modus operandi of criminal groups. These groups continue to target victims both opportunistically and after monitoring their routines. The decline in cases during the third quarter of 2025 in Peru occurred mainly in provinces outside the national hotspots of Lima and La Libertad. Numbers within these hotspots remained consistent with the previous quarter. Despite the increased presence of security forces in cities and multiple news stories about the arrest of members of prominent criminal groups, small and local gangs are the main perpetrators of kidnap-for-ransom in Peru. The multiple factions of the transnational criminal group, El Tren de Aragua, remain operational and are more likely to pose a threat to business owners and high-net-worth individuals than small gangs. These groups possess the capabilities to profile potential victims and monitor their routines over a defined period, enabling them to carry out complex and premeditated abductions.
66 % of abductions happened in transit/outdoors 90 % of abductions resolved in less than 8 days 20 sectors affected
Key developments July to September 2025
The number of kidnapping cases in Mexico’s hotspots increased significantly during the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year, despite the wider presence of security forces. Kidnapping is becoming a growing threat to the personnel within the US crypto industry, with the third quarter of 2025 showing a steady rise in targeted incidents. The number of recorded cases in Ecuador remained consistent over the first three quarters of 2025, following two years of continuous increases across the largest provinces in the country. Peru recorded a decrease in cases during the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. However, this trend is not indicative of an overall improvement in the threat environment as kidnappers remain operational throughout the country.
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