Authorities work at the scene where four racketeering suspects where shot down by security forces during a shootout along a highway in Acapulco in Mexico's Guerrero state on March 30, 2019. Recognizing risks can help a company thrive and develop resiliency to overcome challenges.
I recently received a call from a friend who had some security questions about Mexico. As a company security director, he wanted to know if it was safe for employees in his charge to travel on a particular stretch of highway. The Stratfor Threat Lens team frequently fields queries like this, and we duly discussed the cartel dynamics in the area and some ways employees could mitigate the threats along that route. But then my friend made a comment that really resonated with me: "You know, if we strictly followed the U.S. government's travel advice, we'd never be able to operate in Mexico." He's right, and he's not alone. A number of U.S.-based companies and organizations operate in Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas — the five Mexican states subject to a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" warning from the U.S. government.
