Soldiers from Mexico’s Second Cavalry Regiment discovered and destroyed four marijuana plantations near Valle de la Trinidad, a rural community about 100 kilometers east of Ensenada. The operation eliminated roughly 366,000 plants and several drying facilities spread across multiple grow sites in the remote backcountry.
The troops, assigned to the II Military Region, found the plantations during routine reconnaissance patrols conducted under an operation called “Relámpago Urbano Sector Valles.” The plants stood approximately 80 centimeters (about 2.5 feet) tall at the time of discovery, indicating they were still in a growth phase.
Scale of the Operation
At nearly 366,000 plants across four separate sites, the seizure ranks as a significant find for the region. Valle de la Trinidad sits in a sparsely populated valley east of the Sierra de Juárez, an area long known for illicit agriculture due to its isolation and difficult terrain. The valley lies along Highway 3, the two-lane road connecting Ensenada to the San Felipe desert.
Baja California’s mountainous interior has a decades-long history of cartel-linked marijuana cultivation. In 2010, the Mexican Army reported destroying 73 hectares of marijuana across the northern Baja California peninsula. A 2018 operation near Santo Tomás, south of Ensenada, saw soldiers cut down and burn plants across four plantations in similar terrain.
Military Presence in Rural Ensenada
The II Military Region oversees security operations across Baja California from its base in Mexicali. Cavalry units regularly patrol rural areas east of the Ensenada coast, where paved roads give way to dirt tracks and ranch land. The “Relámpago Urbano” operation framework is a military protocol for rapid response and patrol sweeps in areas surrounding urban centers.
No arrests were reported in connection with the plantation seizures. The army did not disclose whether the sites were linked to a specific criminal organization.
The discovery of drying facilities alongside the grow sites points to an established processing operation, not a single-season planting. Drying sheds are typically used to cure harvested cannabis before packaging and transport.
This story was first reported by Ensenada.net.