PDI Officers Ambushed After Operation in Jalpa; 4 Injured

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

Four officers from the Investigative Police (PDI) were injured after being ambushed on Federal Highway 54, between the communities of San Francisco and Cruz Verde. The agents were returning to the state capital after conducting official investigative duties in Jalpa.

The attack occurred around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. The officers—members of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGJE)—along with Mexican Army personnel, were traveling by road following a search operation in which they had seized a stolen vehicle and 1,600 doses of narcotics.

According to witnesses, a loud bang was heard—”like an explosion”—followed by an exchange of gunfire that lasted just over 15 minutes.

In a statement, the FGJE confirmed the incident and detailed that three men and one woman—all PDI officers—had sustained injuries. Three of them were discharged and placed under outpatient medical care this Sunday, “while a fourth colleague remains hospitalized under specialized medical evaluation.”

At the scene of the attack, one of the PDI’s white patrol vehicles was left destroyed. Furthermore, traffic on the federal highway was disrupted due to damage resulting from the attack and the cordoning off of the area, where a security operation had been deployed.

At noon, the Municipal Civil Protection Coordination (CMPC) issued an alert via Facebook urging the public to avoid traveling on Federal Highway 54—specifically the stretch leading toward the capital—as law enforcement agencies from all three levels of government continued to conduct investigative procedures in the area.

Approximately one hour later, the road was reopened to traffic; however, motorists were advised to proceed with caution, as the authorities’ security operation remained ongoing—including aerial surveillance by aircraft from the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP).

Separately, following the circulation on social media of videos showing an explosion within the cordoned-off zone, the State Peacebuilding Roundtable reported that security forces had carried out the controlled detonation of an explosive device discovered in the town of Tabasco. “As part of the safety protocols implemented during the specialized operations, traffic on the highway was partially closed, with one lane remaining open for vehicular traffic while the corresponding work was carried out,” it stated in a press release.

Following the acts of violence that occurred this weekend—as well as in recent weeks—in the area, the municipal government of Tabasco advised residents to “avoid traveling on Federal Highway 54, particularly during nighttime hours, and to do so only if necessary and while taking appropriate precautionary measures.”

Source: NTR Zacatecas