SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Mexico’s Security Cabinet has issued a report detailing its ongoing fight against organized crime through Operation Northern Border claiming major arrests, seizures of firearms, ammunition, narcotics, vehicles, and the dismantling of synthetic drug facilities.
According to the Mexican government, since the start of the year, operations have led to:
- Arrests: 7,122 suspects
- Firearms seized: 5,541
- Ammunition: 980,371 rounds
- Magazines: 26,448
- Drugs: 94,461.4 kg, including 386.9 kg of fentanyl
- Vehicles: 4,768
- Properties secured: 864
The report details successful operations in regions throughout Mexico:
- Baja California – Tijuana & Mexicali – Seven suspects arrested; seizures included four handguns, 10 magazines, 42 rounds, 305 doses of methamphetamine, 69 doses of marijuana, a motorcycle, and two vehicles (one reported stolen).
- Chihuahua – Ciudad Juárez – One suspect arrested; 170 magazines and 500 rounds seized. At Centro de Reinserción Social Estatal No. 3, authorities confiscated 9 sharp-edged weapons, 3 knives, 3 watches, a tablet, 34 unauthorized tactical clothing items, 11 pairs of sneakers, 12 cellphone chargers, 25 perfumes, 10 board games, 5 pairs of scissors, 43 packs of matches, and 28 lighters.
- Sinaloa – Badiraguato, Culiacán & Cosalá – Four synthetic drug storage facilities dismantled; 2,553 liters and 537 kilos of methamphetamine precursors and two scales seized. Estimated criminal losses: MXN $63 million (US $3.38 million). In Navolato, six firearms, 12 magazines, 300 rounds, and two vehicles seized.
- Sonora – Huatabampo – Two suspects arrested; seizures included 1,951 doses of methamphetamine, 2,841 doses of marijuana, and a stolen vehicle.
- Tamaulipas – Reynosa & Tula – In Reynosa, five rifles, 104 magazines, ammunition, tactical gear, two vehicles (one with homemade armor), and a property seized. In Tula, eight suspects arrested; nine firearms, a submachine gun, 35 magazines, 2,640 rounds, nine tactical vests, two Kevlar helmets, and three vehicles (one with homemade armor) seized.
- Hermosillo and various municipalities, Sonora (Aug. 29–31) – Nine suspects arrested; seizures included firearms, 30 kg of methamphetamine, 204 packages of marijuana, 124 packages of methamphetamine, and vehicles.
- Culiacán, Sinaloa (Aug. 29–31) – 32 rifles, 5 handguns, 59 magazines, 150 kg and 80 liters of chemicals, and a building seized.
- Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua (Aug. 29–31) – Two rifles, 135 rounds, 6 improvised explosive devices, 7 vehicles, and three ballistic plates seized.
According to a news release issued by Mexico’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., Operation Northern Border was launched in February 2025 to curb arms-for-drugs flows, fuel theft, and human smuggling across eight northern Mexican states.
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