Pre-Hispanic period Before the founding of Nuevo Laredo, the area was inhabited by different nomadic indigenous tribes. The most prominent indigenous group to have lived in the Nuevo Laredo region were the
Coahuiltecas. The Coahuiltecas were hunter-gatherers who manufactured many stone and leather artifacts in order to survive the harsh environment. Later, the region saw the influx of other nomadic indigenous tribes, such as the
Apaches and
Comanches. The increasing numbers of Apaches led the Spanish authorities to establish military garrisons and towns to serve as a buffer zone against northern indigenous tribes. Laredo (now in Texas) was one of those towns founded by the Spanish, from which Nuevo Laredo would stem into existence.
Colonial period Nuevo Laredo was part of the territory of the original settlement of
Laredo (now in Texas) which was founded in 1755 by the Spaniard
Don Tomás Sánchez in the northern part of the
Rio Grande. The settlement's territory was granted to José de Escandón by the King of Spain, and the settlement's territory and population remained unified for ninety years, until the war of 1846–1848, the
Mexican–American War.
Independent period Early in 1848, the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo divided the territory attached to Laredo between the United States (
Texas) and Mexico (
Tamaulipas). Nuevo Laredo was founded on June 15, 1848, by seventeen Laredo families who wished to remain Mexican and therefore moved to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. They identified with Mexico, its history, and its cultural customs, and decided to keep their Mexican citizenship. The founders of Nuevo Laredo even took with them the bones of their ancestors so they would continue to rest in Mexican ground. In August 25, 1855 the customs house was officially established in Nuevo Laredo by orders of
Santiago Vidaurri, governor of
Nuevo León and
Coahuila, and military chief of Tamaulipas. This was to collect
import taxes at the new border with the United States. In 1858 a duty-free zone was established along the border with the United States. Nuevo Laredo fell inside this area of tax exemption in order to be competitive with American markets. The creation of this border economic zone was ratified three years later by president
Benito Juárez. As of February 19, 2021, Nuevo Laredo reported 4,714 cases of
COVID-19.
Drug-related violence As a
border town, Nuevo Laredo is known for its
turf war in which
drug cartels compete for control of the drug trade into the United States. Nuevo Laredo is a lucrative drug corridor. A large number of trucks pass through the area. There are multiple exploitable ports of entry.
Los Texas During the 1980s and 1990s the criminal syndicate known as Los Texas was based in Nuevo Laredo and operated all over the Mexican states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas as well as the US state of Texas. Their leader was Arturo Martinez Herrera "El Texas". Their criminal activity began as coyotes, sending illegal immigrants into the United States. Then they used illegal immigrants to cross the border with drugs. Their grip on Nuevo Laredo against other criminal groups generated deadly violence. "El Texas" was arrested, and Guillermo Martinez Herrera "El Borrado" took control of Los Texas. When "El Borrado" was captured, Daniel Martinez Herrera "El Negro" became the leader, although true power remained with "El Borrado" who operated from his luxurious prison cell at Nuevo Laredo's La Loma prison.
Los Zetas Los Zetas, the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, and based in Nuevo Laredo, escalated violence to unprecedented violence in the summer of 2003 through gruesome violence and military-like tactics against the Sinaloa Cartel. Los Zetas also instilled terror against journalists and civilians of Nuevo Laredo. This set a new precedent which cartels later mimicked. Los Zetas and Gulf Cartel separated in early 2010 and fought for the control of the smuggling routes to the United States. As of 2012, Los Zetas were thought to be Mexico's largest criminal organization. 2012 saw an
unprecedented series of mass murder attacks in the city between the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel on one side and Los Zetas on the other. Los Zetas had a rapid expansion of their criminal activities. Based in Nuevo Laredo, they expanded to 17 Mexican states. They caused many notable massacres across many of these states. Stretching of resources as well as the capture and killing of their main leaders contributed to the decline of Los Zetas.
Cartel del Noreste The Cartel del Noreste, known locally by its initials CDN, grew power from its deep historical roots in Nuevo Laredo. The CDN managed to pushed away their rival cartels, Zetas Vieja Escuela and Gulf Cartel, grasping control of Nuevo Laredo. CDN also held control of Nuevo Laredo because its top leaders are locals and members of the Treviño family. First, Juan Francisco Treviño Chávez, alias "El Kiko" assumed leadership of the CDN cartel. After his capture in 2016, Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez, alias "El Huevo" assumed control of CDN. In March 2022, the Mexican military arrested "El Huevo", sparking an extreme outbreak of violence marked by an hours-long firefight, burned-out vehicles, and shots fired at the United States Consulate in Nuevo Laredo. In February 2025, a joint operation by The Secretariat of National Defense was carried out with the assistance from Mexican Navy, Attorney General's Office, the Mexican National Guard and the Department of Security and Citizen Protection, that led to the capture of Ricardo González Sauceda, aliases 'El Ricky' or 'Mando R,' in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Authorities said that on August 17, González Sauceda coordinated an attack on the Mexican military in Nuevo Laredo, injuring five soldiers and killing two. "El Ricky" is also accused of the deaths of six officers within the Nuevo León Civil Force. ==Geography==