Drones drop explosives on police building in western Mexico; no injuries

Drones carrying explosives damaged a police building in western Mexico, according to officials and local media, in the latest attack linked to the escalating cartel war in Sinaloa state. No injuries were reported.

The blasts occurred around 3 a.m. on Thursday in Escuinapa, where at least three improvised explosive devices struck the facilities of the municipal police, according to local outlet Linea Directa.

Two devices reportedly hit the roof of a gymnasium attached to the building, causing damage to a wall near where police motorcycles were stored. A third device exploded in the parking area, damaging the kitchen and shattering windows in nearby homes. Officials said one of the devices failed to detonate.

State authorities described the incident as a deliberate attack on municipal police infrastructure. “It was an aggression, an attack with explosive devices, causing damage to the building,” said a spokesperson for Sinaloa’s public security ministry.

Escuinapa lies in Sinaloa, a state at the heart of Mexico’s cartel conflict. Violence there has intensified since the July 2024 capture of longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada near El Paso, Texas, after he was allegedly lured into a trap by Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Zambada’s arrest triggered a bloody internal war between factions loyal to his family and those supporting Los Chapitos, the collective group of El Chapo’s sons. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the feud, including municipal and state police.

The use of drones in Thursday’s attack follows similar tactics reported in other parts of Mexico. In June, suspected cartel gunmen used explosives dropped from drones on a government building in Michoacán, marking the first known case of such technology being deployed against municipal infrastructure.

Rival groups in that state, including the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, have also been accused of using explosive drones in their campaigns for control.

The U.S. State Department earlier this year designated the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, LNFM, and other criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

Mexican authorities have launched an investigation into Thursday’s attack in Escuinapa but have not said which group they believe is responsible.