Day 703 — Security Cabinet Reports From Zacatecas: 200kg of Explosives in Ojocaliente Car Bomb, 3 Detained, CJNG-Cartel del Pacífico Dispute Cited

On September 4, 2026 (Day 703, Friday), President Sheinbaum held her mañanera from Zacatecas — the first stop of a state-by-state tour following her Second Government Report — alongside Governor David Monreal and her federal Security Cabinet, delivering the findings promised after the August 30 Ojocaliente car bombing. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said preliminary state-prosecutor analysis found the device used approximately 200 kilograms of explosive material, and confirmed three detentions: Juan Pedro "N" (apprehended August 31 for planting the device), plus Hipólito "N" and Miguel "N" (the latter already wanted on a separate homicide warrant), both linked to a criminal cell operating across Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. Harfuch identified a dispute between CJNG and Cartel del Pacífico cells over routes and territory as one of the main investigative lines, and said the case remains open, with the possibility that additional suspects are operating outside the state. He separately confirmed Mexico holds an active U.S. extradition detention order for Juan Carlos Valencia González ("El Pelón"), the CJNG's new leader following Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera's February 2026 death, noting Valencia González holds dual Mexican-American nationality — a detail that lands one day after Sheinbaum's dual-nationality candidacy ban was formally sent to Congress. On the broader security picture, García Harfuch reported 60,000 people arrested for high-impact crimes and 32,000 firearms seized (80% traced to the U.S.) since the administration began, and cited state-level figures showing Zacatecas's daily average of intentional homicides down 96% (from 4.5 in 2021 to 0.2 in 2026) and homicides overall down 85% since September 2024. The visit also included an economic and food-security readout: annual investment up 7.7% in June (public investment +10.9% YoY, private +6%), and record 2026-cycle production of 25.41 million tonnes of maize, 1.36 million tonnes of beans (+300,000 tonnes) and 14.4 billion liters of milk (+900 million liters).