The Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, has presented before the local Congress an initiative to reform the capital’s Penal Code regarding extortion, at a time when the crime has become one of the main security problems perceived by the public. The project seeks to align the capital’s legislation with the General Law on Extortion approved at the federal level in 2025, while introducing a new criminal offense called “coercive harassment.”
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The initiative was referred to committees of the Mexico City Congress for analysis and ruling, in a context of a “zero tolerance” pact against crime, signed by the main judicial and security authorities of the capital. Brugada has insisted that the immediate goal is not only to toughen penalties but to dismantle legal ambiguities that, according to her government, have limited the prosecution of behaviors that, although not consummated, generate a high level of vulnerability and fear.
What changes in the Penal Code
The text sent by Brugada proposes repealing article 148 Quáter of the Penal Code for Mexico City and the penalty increase and aggravating factors scheme approved in December 2024, which established an exceptional toughening system for extortion. Instead, the capital government aims to set the description of the crime of extortion according to federal criteria, that is, when a conduct results in a real or concrete benefit for the offender; for example, if a person is forced by threats to pay a “fee” so that no harm is caused to their business, that situation would be considered extortion because the offender obtains a direct economic benefit.
At the same time, the crime of “coercive harassment” is introduced, defined as the practice of threat or pressure that does not reach the level of extortion but imposes physical or moral violence to force a person to give, do, refrain from doing, or tolerate some conduct. For this criminal offense, penalties of three to seven years in prison and fines of 500 to 1,000 Measurement and Update Units (UMA) — between 58,655 and 117,310 pesos — are contemplated, with an increase of up to half the penalty in cases where weapons are used, minors are involved, or attacks are made on elderly people, people with disabilities, or pregnant women.
Aggravating factors and new criminal scenarios
The initiative also incorporates as aggravating factors the use of images, audios, or videos of intimate content, real or simulated, as a pressure mechanism, as well as the fact that the crime is committed from detention centers or by public servants in the exercise of their functions. Another innovation is the consideration of extortion and coercive harassment as serious crimes, which implies adjustments in their procedural treatment and, in practice, greater weight in the strategy of investigation and criminal prosecution.
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Additionally, the project proposes modifying article 148 Quinquies to penalize illegitimate collection when carried out with physical or moral violence, and doubling penalties in crimes against sexual privacy when the victim is forced to do or refrain from doing something so that the aggressor obtains some benefit. These expansions seek to respond to new modalities of extortion mediated by technology, such as identity theft, threatening messages, or control of financial or intimate information.
Brugada promises “zero tolerance”
The arrival of the initiative at the capital Congress is part of a “zero tolerance” strategy against extortion, which Brugada has reiterated in recent months and reinforced with a pact signed alongside businesspeople, civil society organizations, and representatives of the Judiciary. The governor has pointed out that the high level of fear and underreported complaints — especially among merchants and micro-entrepreneurs — requires not only legislative changes but also a policy of victim protection and a campaign to break the silence.
Brugada’s initiative comes amid a sharp rise in extortion in Mexico City: according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, reported cases soared approximately 260% between 2024 and 2025, rising from 473 to 1,704 files, the largest increase in the country during that period. Despite the increase in proceedings (more than 4,700 files opened between 2019 and 2025), only about 15% of extortion investigations have ended with a sentence.
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