:quality(75)/media/pictures/2025/08/04/3353774.jpg)
Local authorities arrive to assess the scene in Poza Rica-Cazones where multiple bodies were found in black bags – August 4, 2025 | Photo taken by Excelsior Press | Source: Excelsior
9/17/2025 (written by els5) – 8 minute read time | Dismembered bodies were found on two highways within Poza Rica municipality in early August 2025, serving as a reminder of the organized crime groups operating in Poza Rica and greater Veracruz state. The recent violence has been attributed to groups in the area, including both national and regional criminal organizations. This case represents a departure of general Veracruz organized crime violence as crime primarily occurs in the bottom of the state. The Governor, Rocío Nahle García is seeking to bolster police forces and nationally, President Claudia Sheinbaum seeks to rely on intelligence gathering and enhance forces like the National Guard to address crime and disappearances.
El Caracol Bridge Murders
In early August 2025, several dismembered bodies were found along the Poza-Rica Cazones Highway, that were dumped from the El Caracol bridge. These bodies are one of many disappearances that have been occurring in the state.
The human remains found were identified to belong to at least three men. Bodies were also found in black bags on the Poza Rica-Totomoxtle highway, the the bodies were found at the bottom of the bridge in Pamito, a locality within Veracruz. The bodies were found after 9:00 AM by motorists commuting, and the Poza Rica-Cazones highway was closed after 9:30 AM, when local police authorities came to the scene. The highways were reopened after 12 PM. A tarp was hung from the bridge by the perpetrators in Poza Rica-Cazones to offer in detail the vehicle and plates of a rival criminal group located in the community.
Organized Crime in Poza Rica
The murders are potentially related to the recent prison riot that happened in Tuxpan the previous weekend in early August, where eight people were killed and ten more were injured. The riot included inmates setting parts of the medium-security prison on fire. Some sources indicate that the riot involved a rebellion against a criminal organization known as the Sombra Group (Grupo Sombra), formally known as Special Force Sombra Groups (Fuerza Especial Grupo Sombra – FEGS).
Poza Rica is one of the largest populated municipalities in Veracruz state, with its population sitting at nearly 190,000 inhabitants, based on government estimates. In addition to Fuerza Especial Grupo Sombra, there are multiple criminal groups that have a reported presence in Poza Rica, including two of the largest cartels in Mexico, the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel (Cártel de Sinaloa). In addition, there are several regional criminal organizations reportedly operating in the area, including: Pure New People – Zetas Old School (Pura Gente Nueva Zetas Vieja Escuel), Veracruz Mafia (Mafia Veracruz), and 35-Z, an independent cell. The most violent crimes within Veracruz have been reported in the south of hte state, while this recent discovery happened in the north of the state.
Addressing Security in Veracruz
At the local level, municipal police departments in Veracruz have been attempting to find ways to receive funding and support while federal funding has decreased in recent years. Town halls featuring anti-corruption measures have also been proposed as a solution to the security issue within the state. Municipal governments have attempted to have more town halls that seek to increase collaboration among state and local police departments, while also seeking to increase community trust.
Current Governor Rocío Nahle Garcia, a member of the Morena party, has created a strategy that seeks to guarantee permanent integrity in Veracruz, with collaboration at the local, state, and national levels. Her administration seeks to focus on prevention and attention to youth activities and programs to help discourage organized crime, and violent crime overall. The state government collaborates with the Secretariats of National Defense (Secretaría de Defensa Nacional – SEDENA), Navy (Marina), Public Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública – SSP), and the National Guard, along with the national Attorney General (Fiscalía), and the state Attorney General to ‘strengthen access to justice and avoid failures in the integration of files that hinder due process.’
There is a strong sense of citizen distrust towards authorities in Veracruz due to past violence and unresolved disappearances. In 2016, the state established a truth commission to discover the causes and responsibilities of many of the disappeared within the state over many decades, such as during the administration of former Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa (2010-16), who is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for money laundering and his ties to organized crime. The Commission seeks to bring to justice crimes committed by both the state and the disappeared through organized crime.
In the first months of Governor Nahle García’s term, which started in December 2024, there have been significant decreases in intentional homicide rates in the state and nationally.
National Security in Mexico
At a national level, President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to improve security by building on the ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy of previous president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), which focuses on the social policies and poverty alleviation to address the root causes of crime.
Her plan seeks to enhance the intelligence networks of the Mexican state. It emphasizes strategic actions against the most violent criminal groups, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, who control nearly one-third of the country, according to some estimates. The intelligence networks involve capturing logistical leaders and ‘violence generators’ that exist within criminal organizations. One goal of Sheinbaum’s administration includes the 100-Day Security Strategy. This seeks to focus on the strategic points where violence is concentrated, such as drug routes, borders, ports for drug trafficking and agricultural sites as these are often battlegrounds for criminal groups.
However, her plan also seeks to enhance the intelligence networks of the Mexican state. Specifically, during her first 100-days, Sheinbaum’s security strategy is to re-focus on the strategic points where violence is concentrated. In particular, her administration has focused on strategically targeting the most violent criminal groups, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and SInaloa Cartel.
Sheinbaum’s government also aims to strengthen the National Guard that was established under AMLO while also hiring more police investigators. This aligns with Governor Rocío Nahle García’s desire to improve police training and increase professionalism in law enforcement.
Conclusion
The case of the recent murders in Poza Rica demonstrates the ongoing local conflicts between criminal groups in Veracruz. Although the murders and disappearances may be decreasing, the criminal groups are still operating within the region. Time will tell if the Nahle García and Sheinbaum administrations will be successful in their attempts to decrease criminal groups’ influence in Veracruz, and ultimately, the Mexican state. For the victims, they may not receive justice by prosecuting the criminals, but a microcosm of the violence the groups throughout Mexico cause.
Sources
AFP. (2024, October 8). Sheinbaum presenta su plan de seguridad que busca abatir la espiral de violencia de otros sexenios. El Economista. https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/politica/sheinbaum-presenta-plan-seguridad-busca-abatir-espiral-violencia-otros-sexenios-20241008-729110.html
Center for Preventative Action. (2025, June 11). Criminal Violence in Mexico. Global Conflict Tracker | Council on Foreign Relations. https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/criminal-violence-mexico
Coste, J. (2025, March 27). The Missing Elements in Sheinbaum’s Crime-Fighting Strategy. Americas Quarterly. https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/the-missing-elements-in-sheinbaums-crime-fighting-strategy/
Data Mexico | Gobierno de Mexico. (n.d.). Poza Rica de Hidalgo: Economía, empleo, equidad, calidad de vida, educación, salud y seguridad pública | Data México [Government]. Economía | Secretaría de Economía | Gobierno de México. Retrieved August 23, 2025, from https://www.economia.gob.mx/datamexico/es/profile/geo/poza-rica-de-hidalgo?redirect=true
Diálogo y propuestas: Veracruz define estrategia de seguridad para 2025-2030. (2025, January 29). [Government]. Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz. https://www.veracruz.gob.mx/2025/01/29/dialogo-y-propuestas-veracruz-define-estrategia-de-seguridad-para-2025-2030/
Estrategia de seguridad conjunta y eficiente en todo el estado garantiza Rocío Nahle. (2025, January 31). [Government]. Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz. https://www.veracruz.gob.mx/2025/01/31/estrategia-de-seguridad-conjunta-y-eficiente-en-todo-el-estado-garantiza-rocio-nahle/
López, L. (2025, August 4). Terror en Veracruz: Arrojan restos humanos en carretera y autopista. Excélsior. https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/veracruz-restos-humanos-carretera-autopista-mexico/1730948
Mexico’s Forgotten Mayors: The Role of Local Government in Fighting Crime | International Crisis Group. (2023, June 23). International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/mexico/99-mexicos-forgotten-mayors-role-local-government-fighting-crime
Veracruz: Fixing Mexico’s State of Terror | International Crisis Group. (2017, February 28). https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/mexico/61-veracruz-fixing-mexicos-state-terror
