State security agents arrested two suspected cartel operatives after a vehicle pursuit through the Las Torres neighborhood of Tecate on the evening of May 13. The men, identified by their aliases “Makumba” and “El Tony,” were taken into custody after their armored Jeep Grand Cherokee rammed a patrol car in an attempt to escape.
Agents from the FESC (Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana), Baja California’s state security force, stopped the vehicle and recovered a substantial weapons cache. Inside the Jeep, officers found five AK-47-pattern rifles chambered in 7.62x39mm, one .223-caliber rifle, a .357 Magnum revolver, and a shotgun. The total ammunition count reached 1,105 rounds. Two tactical ballistic vests were also seized.
Two Additional Suspects Escaped on Foot
Two other individuals fled the vehicle on foot into rough terrain near Las Torres and remain at large. State agents were unable to locate them during the pursuit. The armored vehicle and ballistic vests point to an organized criminal operation rather than isolated street crime.
The two detained men were transferred to the FGR (Fiscalía General de la República), Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, at its Tijuana facility. Personnel from the Mexican Navy, Army, and National Guard assisted with the transfer.
Tecate Sees String of Security Incidents
The arrest follows a series of high-profile security events in the Tecate area. Days before the chase, a prison commissioner was shot on the Tecate highway. Separately, an alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was arrested on the Tecate to Ensenada highway.
Tecate sits roughly 35 miles southeast of Tijuana and is a common crossing point for expats and travelers heading between San Diego County and Baja California’s wine country in the Valle de Guadalupe. The town’s port of entry typically sees far less congestion than the Tijuana crossings at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.
The presence of five military-style rifles, an armored SUV, and over 1,000 rounds in a single vehicle is notable even by border region standards. Federal authorities have not released the real names of the suspects or specified which criminal organization they may be linked to.
This story was first reported by The Baja Post.