San Fernando , Tamaulipas is notorious for experiencing two of the largest recorded massacres of the Mexican Drug War . The first massacre , known as the 2010 San Fernando massacre , occurred following a gunfight in the state of Tamaulipas between drug cartel gunmen and Mexican authorities , in which three gunmen and a marine were killed . After the authorities patrolled the nearby area , they found a horrifying surprise — 72 bodies were found in a remote ranch in the state of Tamaulipas . It was " the biggest single discovery of its kind " in the ongoing drug war . The 58 men and 14 women were believed to be undocumented migrants from South and Central America trying to cross the border to the United States . A surviving migrant claims that the migrants were kidnapped by the Los Zetas cartel and killed for refusing to do work for them . Twenty one rifles , 101 ammunition clips , four bullet-proof vests , camouflage uniforms and four vehicles were seized by officials . The bodies were found in a room , some of which were piled up on top of each other
2010 San Fernando massacre
2010 San Fernando massacre
San Fernando, Tamaulipas