Tijuana municipal police arrested a 53-year-old man on March 27 after finding him carrying an unlicensed firearm near an Oxxo convenience store on Boulevard Díaz Ordaz. The man identified himself as a security guard working for GIA, a private security company that has now had three employees detained in recent months for operating without valid weapons permits in Baja California.
Officers discovered the man carrying a .380 caliber pistol loaded with three magazines. He presented a GIA company credential and a weapons permit document, but Tijuana police dispatch confirmed the permit holds no legal validity in the state. Authorities turned him over to federal prosecutors on illegal weapons possession charges.
A Pattern of Unlicensed Operations
This is the third documented arrest of a GIA security employee in roughly six months. The first detention took place in September 2025 on Vía Rápida Oriente, a major east-west highway through Tijuana. A second arrest followed in November 2025 in the Tijuana Progreso neighborhood.
In all three cases, the guards carried firearms and presented company credentials, but police confirmed their permits lacked legal standing. The repeated nature of these arrests points to a systemic problem with GIA’s compliance with Baja California’s private security licensing requirements.
How Private Security Licensing Works in Mexico
Private security firms in Mexico must obtain federal weapons permits through SEDENA (the Secretariat of National Defense) and register with state authorities to operate legally. Companies need valid permits for each firearm their guards carry. Operating without these permits is a federal offense, and guards caught with unregistered weapons face prosecution for illegal firearms possession.
Baja California is home to hundreds of private security firms. Many guard businesses, construction sites, and gated communities across Tijuana, Ensenada, and Mexicali. The state government has periodically cracked down on unlicensed operators, but enforcement remains uneven.
Boulevard Díaz Ordaz, where the latest arrest occurred, is one of Tijuana’s principal commercial corridors. It runs through the Zona Río district and is heavily trafficked by both residents and cross-border visitors. Oxxo stores, Mexico’s ubiquitous convenience chain, frequently hire private security guards, though it is unclear whether the detained man was posted at the store or simply nearby.
The case was first reported by Punto Norte on March 28, 2026.