Drone attack hits prosecutor

A drone attack hit the prosecutor’s office in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, a key hub for drug trafficking, authorities said Wednesday without identifying the alleged attackers.

Baja California state prosecutor María Elena Andrade told reporters that the attack with three explosive-laden drones caused some damage but left no victims.

The prosecution said on Facebook that the attack affected the anti-kidnapping unit of the State Attorney General’s Office. In a social media post, the state attorney general said that “no attack will stop investigative work or commitment to justice.”

Tijuana is a major crossing point between Mexico and the United States, and a key hub for cross-border drug smuggling.

In June, Mexican authorities discovered a tunnel from Tijuana leading to the United States.

Andrade said the drones used in the attack dropped improvised explosive devices containing nails and pieces of metal, damaging six vehicles parked in front of the prosecutor’s office. Local media reported that authorities said the drones also contained gunpowder and ammunition.

The US consulate in Tijuana had previously reported explosions and asked its citizens to stay away from the area.

In September, attackers threw Molotov cocktails at vehicles in the prosecutor’s offices of Tijuana and Ensenada, another city in Baja California.

Some attacks on judicial officials in Mexico have been fatal. Last week, a prosecutor’s office official in Playas de Rosarito, just south of Tijuana, was shot and killed.

Cartels and other criminal organizations in Mexico have increasingly used drones in attacks against rival groups or authorities.

In 2024, authorities said an alleged Cartel attack using drones In southern Mexico, at least six people died and 13 others were injured.

According to the US-based think tank InSight Crime, the powerful Jalisco New Generation poster has used explosive drones since at least 2020.

In 2023, the Mexican military said drug cartels have increased their use of roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices, especially bomb launching drones.

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• Mexico
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