MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas – Hundreds of police officers and military personnel are flooding state highways to help ensure the safety of thousands during Christmas and New Year celebrations. The surge follows months of cartel activity including shootouts, carjackings, and highway robberies.

Dubbed “Invierno Seguro 2018,” the operation calls for more than 2,400 police officers to patrol the highways on two shifts. Authorities will also have officers aiding stranded motorists based at 14 stations throughout the state.

The large-scale deployment is expected to remain in operation throughout the holiday season. Tamaulipas is one of the hardest hit by cartel violence, where rival cartels continue their fights for territorial control. Two factions of Los Zetas, called “Old School Z” and “Northeast Cartel” (CDN), are battling for the border city of Nuevo Laredo and central Tamaulipas. Two factions of the Gulf Cartel, known as “Los Metros” and “Escorpiones,” fight for the areas between the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros.

While the turf wars rage, cartel members often target innocent victims for ransom kidnappings and extortion.