Intense shootouts between rival gangs on Thursday paralyzed the city of Tuxpan in the northern part of the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz.
The violence reportedly erupted when a group of gunmen attacked a safehouse belonging to a rival gang in a western neighborhood of Tuxpan.
Shootouts were reported between assailants and security forces as well.
The fighting forced the closure of businesses and schools, with the National Guard and state police erecting roadblocks on highways in the area as well.
Though no fatalities or injuries were reported, messages posted on social media attributed the attack to gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Spanish abbr: CJNG).
In the aftermath of the violence, 600 military and police personnel were deployed to Tuxpan.
The shootouts follow the kidnapping of three people, including a taxi driver, on Wednesday from a residential area in northern Tuxpan.
Pursued by the police, the kidnappers through tire spikes on the road forcing the temporary closure of the Tuxpan Bridge in the central part of the city.
Tuxpan, the closest port to Mexico City, is a vital oil and agricultural products transfer point and home to Mexico’s Gulf fleet of offshore oil rigs.
The CJNG, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Grupo Sombra faction of the Gulf Cartel, remnants of the Zetas and the Los Tercios gang all operate in Veracruz. They vie for the control of drug trafficking routes, local drug sales, kidnapping, extortion and other criminal activity.
The National Citizen Observatory, a Mexico City-based non-governmental agency, considers the Gulf Coast state Veracruz the most dangerous state for kidnappings in Mexico.
Poza Rica, 35 miles south of Tuxpan, and the cities of Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlan in the southern part of the state are especially troublesome.
Personnel who must travel to Veracruz should monitor developments and do their best to avoid areas of conflict.
They should undertake overland travel only in daylight and with fresh intelligence on routes and destinations.
They should consider utilizing protective personnel.
Under no circumstances should they visit bars or nightclubs outside their hotels, which often are the site of gang confrontation.
