Electoral security

Cartels and ballot boxes: Mexican state of Tamaulipas votes in corruption-tainted election in wake of Pulido kidnapping 

Anyone can be a target in Mexico’s grim Tamaulipas state. With the Gulf of Mexico coast on one side and south Texas on the other, it’s a major corridor for drugs going north to US consumers and guns coming south to cartel hitmen. Two drug gangs, the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, have littered the state with bodies fighting for control. On May 27, four people working for the Zetas – all under 23 years old – were arrested for having murdering 11 rivals, eight of them decapitated.

Organised crime permeates all aspects of life in Tamaulipas. The streets crawl with militarised police and army convoys. It’s a black hole for local journalists who know the consequence of investigating drug cartels is death.

There’s no line between crime and politics, especially in this week’s gubernatorial election. The two leading candidates say they’ll keep citizens safe yet both are already accused of having links to cartels. Two former governors of the state are wanted in the US for working with organised crime.