State of Mexico security forces located transport-union leader Bernardo Aldana Becerril alive in the municipality of Soyaniquilpan during the early hours of Thursday, two days after he was abducted in nearby Jilotepec. The Secretaría de Seguridad del Estado de México said the operation was carried out with support from the National Guard and the army. Six suspects were arrested at the scene and handed over to the state prosecutor’s office. Investigators believe the kidnapping was linked to an extortion scheme targeting the Alianza de Autotransportistas, Comerciantes y Anexas del Estado de México (ACME), which Aldana coordinates in the northern part of the state. Aldana’s disappearance prompted ACME members to block the Mexico-Querétaro and Mexico-Pachuca highways, as well as toll booths in Tepotzotlán and San Cristóbal, for more than ten hours on Wednesday, causing extensive traffic congestion into Mexico City. The union had warned it would organize self-defence groups if the authorities failed to secure Aldana’s release. The SSEM said the investigation remains open as it seeks to determine whether additional perpetrators or criminal groups were involved. ACME called on federal and state authorities to step up measures against extortion that targets freight and passenger transport in the region.