Other MoA event in Mexico on Fri 15th May 2026

An armed confrontation between members of the State Guard and armed civilians on a dirt road in the San Rafael ejido, in San Fernando, resulted in the rescue of two people who had been kidnapped. The aggressors, overwhelmed by the deployment of law enforcement, fled into the brush, abandoning tactical equipment and vehicles at the scene of the conflict. The San Fernando area remains the site of a long-standing dispute between factions of the Gulf Cartel and cells of the Old School Zetas, who maintain tight control over assets and trafficking routes to the border. This incident reflects the persistent regional instability in Tamaulipas, where security operations seek to restore the rule of law against groups that use social control tactics such as kidnapping and the use of devices like tire spikes. During the subsequent investigation, two SUVs, a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Ford Edge, were seized, along with a firearm and a whipping board. These findings confirm the trend of criminal groups operating in hard-to-reach rural areas to evade government intelligence. With the transparency required in these cases, federal and state authorities have reinforced public order in the area to prevent reprisals.