Mexico Cargo Theft Falls 21% as Security Plans Advance

Cargo theft targeting freight transport in Mexico fell 21% year over year during the first five months of 2026, according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). Federal authorities opened 2,099 criminal investigations between January and May, down from 2,653 during the same period in 2025. The decline comes as the federal government prepares new highway security initiatives, while transport industry organizations continue to warn of security risks, extortion, and operational disruptions along key freight corridors.

The SESNSP classifies cargo theft under crimes against property. The 2,099 investigations recorded between January and May represent one of the lowest levels in recent years. Compared with the same period in 2018, when authorities opened 5,410 investigations, reported cargo theft has declined by 61%.

The longer-term trend is also evident when compared with 2019, when authorities registered 5,393 investigations during the first five months of the year. 

Despite the nationwide decline, the State of Mexico remained the country's primary hotspot for cargo theft, recording 1,074 investigations between January and May 2026. Although that figure is well below the 1,656 cases reported during the same period in 2018, it still represents the highest total among all Mexican states.

The state's concentration of cargo theft reflects its role as one of Mexico's principal logistics hubs, connecting manufacturing centers, distribution facilities, and major transport infrastructure, including access routes to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).

Earlier this year, industry reports identified the Mexico–Pachuca Highway, the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense, and connecting roads through Tecamac, Zumpango, Nextlalpan, Tonanitla, Ecatepec, and Tizayuca as some of the country's highest-risk freight corridors. The State of Mexico also recorded the highest number of cargo theft investigations in 2025.

Transport operators continue to express concern about security conditions on federal highways. For the third time this year, the Mexican Alliance of Transport Organizations (AMOTAC) warned that it could block major highways serving the Valley of Mexico and access routes into Mexico City to protest ongoing security, regulatory, and operational issues.

According to the organization, illegal charges, discretionary inspection checkpoints, violent incidents, and extortion continue to disrupt freight operations. AMOTAC has urged federal, state, and municipal authorities to respond to complaints submitted by transport companies.

The latest warning follows a series of nationwide demonstrations organized throughout the year. In May, farmers and transport operators staged partial highway blockades across Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Zacatecas, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Hidalgo, Puebla, Tamaulipas, and Sinaloa.

Earlier, on April 6, the same organizations organized a nationwide work stoppage after concluding that previous negotiations with authorities had produced limited results. Industry representatives continue to identify cargo theft, extortion, inspection delays, and alleged corruption as the sector's principal operational challenges.

The federal government has announced additional measures to strengthen highway security and improve coordination across the national road network. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the administration will expand the National Guard's responsibilities on federal highways by granting greater authority over inspections, enforcement, and operational supervision.

The government also plans to establish a specialized highway Command, Control, Computing, Communications, and Citizen Contact Center, modeled after Mexico's C5 public security centers.

"We are also going to introduce new measures on highways. I can tell you in advance that we are creating a center, similar to a C5, specifically for highways," Sheinbaum said.

The president said the project is being developed jointly by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) and the National Guard to strengthen surveillance, emergency response, and operational coordination across federal highways.

According to the federal government, the specialized monitoring center will integrate video surveillance, incident monitoring, radio communications, and coordination among security and emergency agencies. Authorities expect the platform to centralize emergency reports, monitor strategic highway corridors, and improve response times to criminal incidents affecting freight carriers and motorists.