MEXICO · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico, the United States’ southern neighbour. Sinaloa, on its Pacific coast, is home base of the Sinaloa Cartel.
- —What happened Soldiers and police seized 48 drones in Sinaloa, plus six landmines and 36 homemade bombs, the federal Security Cabinet reported on Monday, 12 October.
- —Where El Rosario and Concordia, near the resort city of Mazatlán, plus Mazatlán itself and the state capital, Culiacán.
- —The drug lab Security forces also dismantled a hidden laboratory for making illegal drugs, the Security Cabinet said.
- —The US angle Washington lists the Sinaloa Cartel as a terrorist group, and the State Department tells Americans not to travel to Sinaloa.
- —Still open Officials did not say who owned the drones. No one was arrested at the El Rosario and Concordia sites.
Mexican troops and police seized 48 drones in Sinaloa, plus six landmines and 36 homemade bombs, the federal Security Cabinet said on Monday, 12 October. The finds came from operations on 9, 10 and 11 October in several municipalities of the state.
Sinaloa is the home base of the Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has listed as a foreign terrorist organisation since 2025. Most of the finds were made in southern Sinaloa near Mazatlán, a beach resort and cruise port popular with American visitors.
Where Troops Found the Drones
Mexico’s Security Cabinet brings together the Army, the Navy, the federal security ministry and federal prosecutors. Its joint statement on the drones in Sinaloa was reported by the Sinaloa papers Noroeste and Ríodoce and by El Universal.
The drones turned up on the highway between El Rosario and Agua Verde, in the south of the state. Army troops seized 48 drones, 64 drone batteries and 44 rolls of fibre-optic cable there.
The same stash held 200 rounds of ammunition, 20 ballistic plates for body armour, six tactical vests and 16 tactical uniforms. El Universal noted that the authorities did not say whether the gear belonged to any criminal group.
Landmines and Homemade Bombs Near Mazatlán
El Rosario is a small town in southern Sinaloa, southeast of Mazatlán, the region’s resort city. In Cacalotán, a village in the same municipality, soldiers seized 25 improvised explosive devices and a vehicle with homemade armour.
In Concordia, a town east of Mazatlán on the road to Durango, soldiers and federal security forces seized six landmines. They also found four more homemade explosives, four bulletproof vests and other tactical gear.
Noroeste reported that the operations in El Rosario and Concordia led to no arrests. All the material was handed to the authorities for investigation.
A Drug Lab and Raids in Culiacán
Further north, in the Popular district of Culiacán, troops and municipal police found nine long guns, 173 rounds and seven homemade explosives. That brings the number of improvised explosive devices in the report to 36.
In Culiacán, security forces also found and disabled a clandestine laboratory used to make synthetic drugs, El Universal reported. Ríodoce reported that drug precursors, the chemicals used to make illegal drugs, were seized in containers.
Elsewhere in the city, the Army seized three kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of cocaine. Navy, security ministry and federal prosecution agents also searched two properties in Culiacán and Mazatlán.
One person was detained in those searches, Ríodoce and El Universal reported. Agents seized four passports, 31 bank cards, cash, jewellery, computers and 21 hard drives.
Why Sinaloa Matters to the United States
The US State Department designated the Sinaloa Cartel a foreign terrorist organisation on 20 February 2025. Since 2024 the cartel has been split by a feud between two factions.
Los Chapitos are led by sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the jailed drug lord. La Mayiza is loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a veteran cartel leader who ended up in US custody in 2024.
The violence has reached the south of the state. On Sunday, 11 October, gunmen killed Escuinapa’s civil protection chief, as reported in Sinaloa Civil Protection Chief Shot Dead.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch serves under President Claudia Sheinbaum, of the left-wing Morena party. After deadly shootings inside Mazatlán’s prison, he pledged a new federally funded prison in Sinaloa, El Financiero reported on 10 October.
What It Means for You
The US State Department advisory for Mexico, dated 29 May 2026, puts Sinaloa at Level 4, its highest. It tells Americans: “Do not travel due to terrorism and crime.”
It lets US government employees reach Mazatlán and Los Mochis only by air or sea. In Mazatlán they must stay in the historic centre and along the seafront Malecón. El Rosario, Concordia and Culiacán all lie outside those zones.
The seizure of drones in Sinaloa also shows what kind of equipment now circulates near a resort many Americans visit. Travellers should check the advisory before any trip to the state.
What Is Not Known
Officials have not said who owned the drones in Sinaloa or what the fibre-optic cable was for. They have not linked the finds to either faction of the cartel.
Officials also did not say which drugs the lab produced. The person detained in the raids has not been named, and no charges have been announced.
More: Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many drones did Mexico seize in Sinaloa?
Army troops seized 48 drones in Sinaloa, with 64 batteries and 44 rolls of fibre-optic cable, on the highway between El Rosario and Agua Verde. The Security Cabinet reported the find on 12 October.
Were landmines found in Sinaloa?
Yes. Soldiers and federal security forces seized six landmines in Concordia, east of Mazatlán. In all, the operations turned up 36 homemade explosive devices.
Is it safe for Americans to travel to Sinaloa?
The US State Department rates Sinaloa Level 4, “Do not travel due to terrorism and crime”. US government employees may reach Mazatlán and Los Mochis only by air or sea, and only within set zones.
Sources: Noroeste, Incautan fuerzas federales arsenal, drones y vehículo blindado en Rosario y Concordia, 12 October 2026; Ríodoce, Aseguran 48 drones y el desmantelamiento de un laboratorio clandestino en Sinaloa, 12 October 2026; El Universal, Aseguran flotilla de drones en El Rosario, Sinaloa, 12 October 2026; El Financiero, Harfuch confirma nuevo penal en Sinaloa con recursos federales, 10 October 2026; US Department of State, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, accessed 13 October 2026; US Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory, 29 May 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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