A federal judge sentenced six men to prison after they opened fire on a Mexican Army patrol near Guerrero Negro in the municipality of Mulegé, Baja California Sur. The sentences ranged from nearly seven years to more than eight years, handed down through Mexico’s abbreviated trial procedure.
The confrontation occurred when soldiers on a surveillance operation came under fire from armed civilians. Troops returned fire and detained all six suspects at the scene. No soldier casualties were reported.
Military-Grade Arsenal Seized
The weapons cache recovered by authorities pointed to organized criminal activity. Soldiers seized six long guns, one handgun, and nearly 3,000 rounds of ammunition. They also confiscated four grenades, 69 ammunition magazines, seven ballistic plates, and 12 tactical vests.
Three vehicles were impounded at the scene. Authorities also recovered 44 packets of what appeared to be marijuana.
Firearms Charges, Not Drug Counts
All six defendants were convicted under Mexico’s Federal Firearms and Explosives Law (Ley Federal de Armas de Fuego y Explosivos). The court also assessed fines against each defendant. The charges focused specifically on weapons violations rather than drug trafficking, despite the marijuana found during the operation.
The convictions came through Mexico’s procedimiento abreviado, an abbreviated trial process that allows defendants to accept charges in exchange for reduced sentences. This mechanism, part of Mexico’s adversarial justice system adopted in 2016, typically produces faster resolutions than full oral trials.
Guerrero Negro: Whale Town With a Security Corridor
Guerrero Negro sits at the border between the municipalities of Mulegé (BCS) and Ensenada (Baja California), roughly 450 miles south of the U.S. border at Tijuana. The town is best known internationally as the gateway to the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, where gray whales calve each winter from January through March.
The remote desert highway connecting Guerrero Negro to both the northern border and southern BCS cities like Loreto and La Paz features regular military checkpoints. Travelers on the Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1) routinely encounter these stops, where soldiers inspect vehicles for weapons and contraband.
The volume and type of weapons seized in this case, including grenades and body armor, indicate a level of firepower well beyond casual possession. The case was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.