National Guard officers arrested two men carrying military-grade weapons on the Ciudad Insurgentes to Loreto highway in Baja California Sur after a brief vehicle chase near the Ejido 2 junction.
The suspects, identified only as Román and Leonardo, were spotted in a pickup truck during a routine motorized patrol. When officers approached, the two men attempted to flee. National Guard personnel pursued and stopped the vehicle, seizing a short-barrel firearm and a loaded magazine containing 17 cartridges. All items were classified as exclusive to the Mexican Armed Forces, making possession by civilians a federal crime.
Federal Judge Issues Formal Charges
Federal prosecutors from FECOR-BCS (the federal attorney general’s regional office for Baja California Sur) presented evidence before a control judge. The judge issued an auto de vinculación a proceso, a formal binding order that moves the case to trial. Both men face charges of illegal possession of weapons restricted to military use.
Under Mexican law, firearms and ammunition designated for exclusive use by the armed forces carry stiffer penalties than standard weapons charges. A conviction for possession of military-exclusive weapons can result in five to 15 years in prison. Both suspects are presumed innocent until a final ruling.
Key Route Between Los Cabos and Loreto
The Ciudad Insurgentes to Loreto highway is a section of the Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1), the main artery connecting Los Cabos to towns further north in BCS. Ciudad Insurgentes sits roughly 140 miles north of La Paz, and the Ejido 2 junction is a rural stretch between the agricultural town and the tourist destination of Loreto. Drivers heading from Cabo to Loreto, Mulegé, or points north pass through this corridor.
The seizure of military-classified ammunition on this route is consistent with patterns authorities have identified in logistics operations tied to organized crime in the region. National Guard patrols have maintained a visible presence along Highway 1 in BCS as part of broader federal security operations across the peninsula.
This incident was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.