The Federal Government, through Commander Guillermo Briseño Lobera, head of the National Guard, confirmed that in the January-June 2026 period there was a 19.4% decrease in cargo theft, which is a result of programs such as the “Balam” Strategy and the “Zero Cargo Theft” Plan.
Comparing the months of January to June of 2025 with the months of January to June of 2026, we have a downward trend of -19.41 percent, which represents 607 fewer robberies, explained Commander Briseño.
As a way to address this situation, José Esteva, head of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), stated that, in coordination with the National Guard and the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection , 806 unauthorized highway access points have been closed . “These were points where vehicles could be diverted in the event of an incident,” he explained.
Regarding the highway arches , the head of the SICT confirmed that two have been installed on the Mexico-Queretaro highway and two more on the Mexico-Puebla highway.
The ones that will be installed are on the Puebla – Cordoba route, according to Overhaul , one of the routes with the highest crime incidence; Mexico-Ojo Caliente, which are wallets 45, 140.
Also considered are the routes Mexicali – Tijuana, La Tinaja – Cosoleacaque, Libramiento Poniente de Tampico, Querétaro – Irapuato, Libramiento Noreste de Querétaro and Aguascalientes-Zacatecas.
“These smart arches are linked to the C4 and allow us to identify license plates, dimensions, and vehicle speed,” Esteva added.
As for the safe rest stops, the first of a group of 15 will be inaugurated on August 20 in Majalca, Chihuahua; while the second will be in the Palmillas area.
3,000 cameras will monitor the roads
In a project initiated in 2015 by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection with the design and construction of the Highway C4 Center, operations will begin this September in some designated corridors.
This center will integrate video surveillance, radio communications, geolocation, information analysis, and coordination with the National Guard and the state C4 and C5 centers to improve security, civil protection, and incident response on highways , explained Juan Manuel García Ortegón, Head of the Infrastructure, Information Technology, and Technological Liaison Unit.
As for the C4 Carretero facility , it is equipped with 88 monitoring and dispatch stations , as well as spaces and offices equipped to receive representatives from different institutions and agencies in charge of attending to these events.
This initiative will have a video monitoring and automatic vehicle identification network, covering a total of 1,407 kilometers of federal highways, with 1,005 monitoring points, with a total of 3,015 cameras, as well as 120 arches for automatic license plate detection and reading of the Repuve hologram.
This infrastructure will be distributed across four corridors, in a total of six road sections: Mexico-Puebla-Veracruz, Mexico-Acapulco, Mexico-Queretaro, Culiacan-Mazatlan-Durango.
Based on the report for the first quarter of 2026, 82% of robberies are concentrated in the following 10 states : State of Mexico, Puebla, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Guerrero and Tlaxcala.
Manuel García stated that there are 37 construction sites operating on the Mexico-Puebla-Veracruz section, and it will be the first corridor completed no later than September 30. “But the operation of the Center with this model begins on September 1. And obviously, as the rest of the cameras and sensors are installed, they will be integrated into the model.”
According to the official, this strategy will allow for real-time monitoring and analysis of information for the early identification of risks, the supervision of routes and access points, the implementation of special operations, and the timely handling of incidents, contributing to reducing response times, as well as strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and the National Guard, but primarily the objective of all this is to improve the safety conditions of those who travel on Mexico’s highways.
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