SAA event in Mexico on Sat 9th May 2026

A convoy of gunmen ambushed police officers patrolling the Ciudad Alemán-Tuxtepec federal highway, unleashing a fierce gun battle that paralyzed the Gabino Barreda area. The direct attack triggered a chase that lasted nearly an hour on Federal Highway 175, specifically on the stretch connecting La Isleta and Peñitas. Outnumbered, the attackers used tire spikes to slow the patrols and escape into the region's backroads. Sources in the area indicated that the sound of heavy gunfire kept residents sheltering in their homes, while the air and ground operation attempted to corner the armored vehicles carrying the armed group. Despite the intensity of the confrontation and the deployment of state and federal forces in this border region between Veracruz and Oaxaca, authorities reported no casualties, injuries, or arrests after the ceasefire. This sector of the Papaloapan Basin has historically been disputed by cells that operate for dominant groups in the region, who use these federal routes for the trafficking of illicit goods and territorial control.