Tijuana’s Municipal Police arrested 1,085 people and confiscated 64 firearms during March 2026, according to the city’s Public Safety Secretariat (Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana). Officers also seized more than 5,000 individual drug doses throughout the month.
The firearms included 51 handguns and 13 long guns. Of the drug seizures, nearly 4,700 doses were methamphetamine, the dominant illicit substance in Baja California’s border region.
Homicide and Vehicle Theft Top Arrest Categories
Among the 1,085 arrests, 16 individuals were detained in the act of committing homicide. Another 131 people were arrested for vehicle theft, and 47 were taken into custody for illegal possession of firearms. Officers also executed 152 outstanding arrest warrants during the month.
Police recovered 144 stolen vehicles across Tijuana’s various delegaciones. Vehicle theft remains one of the most frequently reported crimes in the city, affecting residents and cross-border commuters alike.
Drug Seizures Dominated by Methamphetamine
The more than 5,000 drug doses confiscated in March point to methamphetamine’s continued prevalence in Tijuana. The city sits along a major trafficking corridor feeding demand in both Mexico and the United States. Local consumption has also risen in recent years, with meth sold cheaply on the street in small, individual doses.
Tijuana authorities promoted the city’s 9-1-1 emergency line and a mobile “Emergency Button” app as tools residents can use to report crimes in progress. The Secretariat also cited community-based prevention programs as part of its broader public safety strategy.
Security Landscape Ahead of Semana Santa
The March figures arrive as Tijuana prepares for the Semana Santa holiday period, when foot and vehicle traffic at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings typically increases. Tijuana is Baja California’s most populous city, with roughly 2 million residents and millions of annual border crossings.
The city has long grappled with cartel-related violence and property crime. In February 2026, Tijuana police captured three U.S. fugitives through information-sharing with American law enforcement, and last year the arrest of a cartel figure known as “Cabo 64” was considered a major blow to organized crime in the region.
The March 2026 arrest and seizure data was first reported by Punto Norte.