Three men from Guadalajara, Jalisco, were arrested at Cancún International Airport in Quintana Roo, Mexico, in possession of an arsenal and nearly 40 kilograms of drugs in their luggage, the National Guard (GN) reported.
The agency reported that the three individuals were traveling aboard a private flight and that, as part of air and ground surveillance operations within the National Security Plan, they received an alert about the arrival of a suspicious aircraft from Guadalajara Airport.
During the inspection of the plane in the landing area, officers detected anomalies in the flight documentation and proceeded to search the luggage compartment, where they found weapons, magazines, and multiple packages of narcotics wrapped in adhesive tape.
In total, 3,300 live rounds of various calibers, 50 magazines, a drum-type magazine, and five chain-linked belts containing 100 5.56 mm caliber rounds each were seized, in addition to a 7.62 mm caliber AK-47 rifle, known as the “goat’s horn,” a weapon exclusively used by the Armed Forces.
They also located 32 bags containing approximately 39 kilograms of drugs, presumably methamphetamine and cocaine, according to initial field tests conducted by federal experts.
An undetermined amount of cash was also seized, the count and origin of which are under investigation.
Federal sources indicated that the three detainees are believed to be members of a cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a group that has expanded its operations to the Mexican Caribbean in recent years, especially in the tourist corridors of Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, where they compete for control of drug dealing and the security of clandestine air routes.
Authorities do not rule out the possibility that the aircraft was simulating executive flights for the trafficking of weapons and drugs, using altered flight plans and private operators.
The aircraft was placed under the custody of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), which are reviewing its flight plan, registration, and possible structural modifications.
They are also investigating whether the crew had falsified permits or whether the plane was previously linked to other illicit transfers.
The three individuals were brought before the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), Quintana Roo, on charges of violating the Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives, possession of narcotics for transportation purposes, and possible organized crime.
The seized weapons, ammunition, and drugs were transferred under military protection to Military Air Base 10 in Cancún for classification and forensic storage.
So far in 2025, the sources warned, federal authorities have intercepted at least 14 private flights carrying drugs or weapons, primarily in the states of Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Campeche, and Tabasco.
Source: vanguardia
