Tijuana municipal police detained two men over the weekend in connection with separate homicides, one in the Sánchez Taboada delegation and another in the San Antonio de los Buenos area. Both suspects were caught near their respective crime scenes, and both cases involved firearms.
Two Arrests Within Hours in Tijuana’s Eastern Colonias
The first arrest took place Saturday in colonia Reforma, part of the Sánchez Taboada delegation in eastern Tijuana. Officers on patrol heard gunfire and responded to a street where they found a 30-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Nearby, officers detained a 36-year-old man identified as Efrén “N,” who was carrying a firearm. Witnesses at the scene identified Efrén as the shooter, according to the police report.
The second incident occurred in the San Antonio de los Buenos area, a coastal zone south of central Tijuana near the wastewater treatment infrastructure along the border. There, officers responded to reports of a body and found a deceased male. A 42-year-old man identified as Cruz Noé “N” was detained in the vicinity. Police recovered a firearm from Cruz Noé and connected him to the killing based on witness statements and physical evidence at the scene.
In both cases, the Baja California state attorney general’s office (FGE, the state agency responsible for criminal prosecution) took custody of the suspects. The detainees, the recovered weapons, and the crime scene evidence were turned over to the FGE’s homicide division, known as the Agencia del Ministerio Público, for formal investigation. Under Mexican law, suspects are identified publicly by first name only, with their surname replaced by “N” until formal charges are filed.
Tijuana Recorded Over 1,000 Homicides in 2024
These arrests fit a pattern that has defined Tijuana’s security landscape for years. The city recorded more than 1,000 homicides in 2024, maintaining its position as one of the most violent cities in Mexico by raw numbers. While the rate has declined slightly from the peak years of 2018 and 2019, when annual totals exceeded 2,500, gun violence remains a daily reality across many colonias.
The Sánchez Taboada delegation, where the first killing occurred, is one of Tijuana’s most densely populated areas. It stretches across the city’s eastern hills and includes dozens of working-class colonias with limited police coverage. San Antonio de los Buenos, the site of the second killing, sits along the coast near the international wastewater treatment plant and is less populated but has seen sporadic violence tied to drug distribution routes.
Tijuana’s municipal police force has roughly 2,500 active officers for a metropolitan area of over two million people. That ratio, approximately one officer per 800 residents, falls well below the recommended international standard of one per 250 to 300. The department has struggled with recruitment and retention for years, with salaries starting around 15,000 pesos per month (roughly $830 USD). In 2023, the city announced plans to hire 1,000 additional officers, but progress has been slow.
Quick arrests at homicide scenes, like these two cases, represent a small fraction of overall killings. Mexico’s national impunity rate for homicides exceeds 90%, meaning fewer than one in ten cases result in a conviction. In Baja California, the FGE has faced criticism for case backlogs and understaffing in its forensic units. The state hired additional prosecutors in late 2024, but the impact on clearance rates has not yet been measured.
Colonias Affected Sit Outside Major Tourist and Expat Corridors
Both crime scenes are located in areas east and south of central Tijuana, away from the Zona Río commercial district, the Playas de Tijuana coastal neighborhood, and the border crossing corridors at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Colonia Reforma sits roughly seven kilometers east of downtown, while San Antonio de los Buenos is about 12 kilometers south along the coastal road toward Rosarito.
Daily commuters who use the Tijuana-Rosarito libre (free road) pass near San Antonio de los Buenos. The area is also close to the Punta Bandera toll plaza on the scenic toll road. Police presence in both zones tends to be heavier on weekdays during commute hours and thinner on weekends, when both incidents occurred.
The FGE will determine whether formal homicide charges are filed against Efrén “N” and Cruz Noé “N” in the coming days. Under Mexico’s criminal justice system, prosecutors have up to 48 hours after detention to present evidence before a judge at an initial hearing. This story was first reported by El Sol de Tijuana.