A drone attack targeted the prosecutor’s office in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, a key hub for drug trafficking, authorities confirmed Wednesday. The suspected assailants have not been identified.
Baja California state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade told reporters that the attack involved three explosive-laden drones. While the assault caused some damage, there were no casualties reported.
According to a post on Facebook by the prosecutor’s office, the attack specifically hit the anti-kidnapping unit of the state attorney general’s office. In a statement shared on social media, the state attorney general emphasized that “no attack will stop investigative work or commitment to justice.”
Tijuana serves as a major crossing point between Mexico and the United States and is a central area for cross-border drug smuggling. In June, Mexican authorities discovered a tunnel from Tijuana leading toward the U.S., highlighting the city’s significance in illicit trafficking routes.
Prosecutor Andrade explained that the drones dropped improvised explosive devices containing nails and pieces of metal, which damaged six vehicles parked outside the prosecutor’s office. Local media reported that officials stated the drones also contained gunpowder and BBs.
Earlier, the U.S. consulate in Tijuana reported hearing explosions and advised its citizens to avoid the area.
This latest incident is not isolated. In September, assailants threw Molotov cocktails at vehicles at the prosecutor’s offices in Tijuana and Ensenada, another city in Baja California. Attacks on judicial officials in Mexico have sometimes been deadly; just last week, a prosecution official in Playas de Rosarito, located south of Tijuana, was gunned down.
Criminal organizations and cartels in Mexico have increasingly employed drones for attacks against rival groups or authorities. In 2024, officials reported an alleged cartel drone attack in southern Mexico that killed at least six people and injured thirteen others.
According to the U.S.-based think tank InSight Crime, the powerful Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel has been using explosive drones since at least 2020, underscoring the growing threat that such technology poses in Mexico’s ongoing security challenges.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drone-attack-prosecutors-office-mexico-us-border/
