Baja California’s FESC (State Citizen Security Force) arrested three suspects in separate street-level drug operations on March 23 in Mexicali, Ensenada, and Tecate. All three men were found carrying methamphetamine and turned over to the FGE (state attorney general’s office) Specialized Narcomenudeo Unit, which handles retail drug crimes.
Mexicali Suspect Tossed Bag When Police Approached
In the Parajes de Oriente neighborhood of Mexicali, officers detained Ángel N., 22, after he discarded a plastic bag as police approached on foot. The bag contained approximately 19 grams of methamphetamine. Parajes de Oriente sits in eastern Mexicali, a residential area near the city’s industrial corridors.
In Maneadero, a farming community about 15 miles south of downtown Ensenada along the Transpeninsular Highway, officers stopped José N., 25. He was found carrying 2.2 grams of methamphetamine.
Tecate Suspect Armed and Accused of Vehicle Attack
The Tecate arrest involved the most serious allegations. Miguel Angel N., 36, was located by PROTEO operatives, a tactical response unit within the FESC. Police had responded to reports of a man striking a vehicle with a baseball bat. When officers found him, he was armed. He was carrying 4.8 grams of methamphetamine.
Tecate, a border city of roughly 110,000 residents about 35 miles east of Tijuana, is a common crossing point for U.S. residents who live in rural East County San Diego.
The FESC conducts these narcomenudeo (street-level drug sales) operations as a core part of its mandate under Baja California’s Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana. Recent operations reported by Uniradio in June 2025 showed the force arrested eight people in a single round of Mexicali and Ensenada sweeps, with individual seizures ranging from 4 grams to over 50 grams of methamphetamine. A January 2025 operation netted suspects in Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada with methamphetamine and marijuana.
All three suspects from the March 23 operations now face narcomenudeo charges through the FGE’s specialized unit, which prosecutes retail drug distribution, as reported by The Baja Post.