Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #53: Recent Improvised Landmine attacks in Michoacán and Jalisco
On 27 May 2025, eight Guardia Nacional (GN) personnel assigned to the Fuerza de reacción inmediata (FERI), an immediate reaction special force team, were killed when their armored vehicle ran over an artisanal landmine, in Los Reyes, Michoacán. The officials were in the area as part of ongoing counter-cartel operations. The region is contested and contains several active cartel factions including the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cárteles Unidos, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. The area, near the border of Michoacán and Jalisco, has been an active incubator of cartel explosive devices and related tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
Key Information: “8 members of Mexico’s National guard killed in landmine explosion.” Mexico News Daily. 28 May 2025, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/landmine-explosion-kills-8/:
The explosion of a landmine in Michoacán has claimed the lives of eight members of the National Guard [Guardia Nacional] (GN), according to federal authorities.
An armored tactical vehicle in which eight members of the GN’s Immediate Reaction Special Force [Fuerza de reacción inmediata] (FERI) team were traveling ran over the landmine on a dirt road in the municipality of Los Reyes Tuesday night, causing it to detonate.
The initial death toll was reported to be six with two GN members injured. The injured troops were reportedly transferred to hospital by helicopter.
Military sources said on Wednesday that the number of fatalities had risen to eight, making the landmine explosion the deadliest since it first became know that criminal groups such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) were using improvised explosive devices in their fight against authorities and each other. At least two of the victims occupied leadership positions within the National Guard’s FERI team.
Key Information: Thomas Graham, “Eight Mexican soldiers killed by improvised explosive device.” The Guardian. 28 May 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/28/mexican-soldiers-killed-improvised-explosive-device:
The use of IEDs in a war between criminal groups in the Michoacán-Jalisco border region has increased drastically
Eight Mexican soldiers have died after triggering an improvised explosive device (IED) in the state of Michoacán, underlining the rising use of mines by organised crime factions…
…Shortly before the explosion, the army had reported finding and destroying 621 IEDs in Michoacán during operations so far…
Various criminal groups have reportedly recruited ex-military personnel from Colombia who are experts in explosives, leading to a proliferation of improvised mines to control territory throughout the region.
Key Information: Carlos Arrieta and Manuel Espino, “Seis militares mueren al explotar un artefacto artesanal entre Jalisco y Michoacán; patrullaban en zona dominada por el CJNG.” El Universal. 27 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/seis-militares-mueren-al-explotar-una-artefacto-artesanal-entre-jalisco-y-michoacan-patrullaban-en-zona-dominada-por-el-cjng/:
Amenos seis militares murieron al explotarles un explosivo artesanal en los límites entre Michoacán y Jalisco, zona dominada por el Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), reportaron a EL UNIVERSAL fuentes locales.
Seis aviones texanos y cuatro helicópteros se trasladaron al lugar de los hechos para proporcionar apoyo a la fuerza terrestre.
Fuentes preliminares de seguridad y comunales de esa zona, limítrofe con el estado de Jalisco, refirieron que desde el pasado sábado, el grupo militar “Murciélagos”, desplegó un operativo que tenía como objetivo el desmantelamiento de un centro de operaciones y adiestramiento del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación en Santa María del Oro.[1]
Key Information: Anayeli Tapia Sandoval, “Reportan muerte de seis militares tras explosión de narcomina en los límites de Jalisco y Michoacán.” Infobae. 28 May 2025, https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2025/05/28/reportan-muerte-de-seis-militares-tras-explosion-de-mina-en-los-limites-de-jalisco-y-michoacan/:
Seis elementos del Ejército Mexicano habrían muerto y otros dos resultado gravemente heridos tras la explosión de una mina en la zona serrana entre Jalisco y Michoacán…
…Este martes 27 de mayo, durante el desplazamiento del convoy militar por un camino de terracería en la localidad de El Santuario, se habría activado un artefacto explosivo oculto en la vía…
… Esta zona y sus alrededores son considerados puntos clave en la disputa territorial entre el CJNG y otras células delictivas, como Cárteles Unidos o La Nueva Familia Michoacana…
… Desde 2022, se han documentado múltiples incidentes en municipios como Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista Tomatlán, Los Reyes, Coalcomán y Cotija, donde las minas, muchas de fabricación casera, han causado víctimas tanto entre militares como entre civiles, incluyendo campesinos y trabajadores agrícolas…
…Aunque inicialmente rudimentarias, las minas utilizadas por el CJNG han evolucionado en sofisticación. En Jalisco, se han encontrado dispositivos que no corresponden a la categoría de “artesanales”, lo que sugiere una mejora en la capacidad técnica del cártel.
Ante esta situación, las autoridades mexicanas han intensificado los operativos para localizar y desactivar estos artefactos explosivos. En los primeros dos meses de 2025, el Ejército Mexicano aseguró 1,255 piezas, cifra similar a las que se decomisaron en todo 2022. Del total de artefactos decomisados, el 33% se encontraron en Michoacán.[2]
Key Information: Elizabeth Guzmán and Jorge Martínez,” Mueren 6 militares tras explosión de narcomina en Michoacán.” Milenio. 28 May 2025, https://www.milenio.com/policia/reportan-muerte-militares-explosion-limites-jalisco:
Seis militares murieron tras la explosión de una mina terrestre en la comunidad de El Santuario, municipio de Los Reyes, Michoacán.
Fuentes oficiales informaron que los hechos ocurrieron en una zona serrana de dicho territorio disputado por grupos criminales del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y de Los Reyes.
Las instituciones de seguridad pública y militares señalaron que un grupo de oficiales fueron desplegados en la zona para realizar un operativo en contra del crimen.
Sin embargo, al transitar en una unidad blindada por un camino de terracería, la mina estalló dejando a seis efectivos muertos y dos heridos.[3]
Key Information: Manuel Espino, “Suman ocho militares muertos por detonación de explosivo en límites de Michoacán y Jalisco; realizaban patrullaje en zona de conflict.” El Universal. 28 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/suman-ocho-militares-muertos-por-detonacion-de-explosivo-en-limites-de-michoacan-y-jalisco-realizaban-patrullaje-en-zona-de-conflicto/:
La cifra de militares de las Fuerzas Especiales fallecidos por la explosión de un artefactotipo mina en los límites entre Michoacán y Jalisco, se elevó a ocho, reportaron fuentes federales.
El informe inicial había sido de dos oficiales y cuatro de tropas caídos ayer cuando patrullaban en un vehículo blindado de la Fuerza Especial de Reacción Inmediata (FERI), en la comunidad El Santuario, municipio de Los Reyes, Michoacán, como parte de un operativo en la zona.
Sin embargo, fuentes federales comentaron que ya suman ocho efectivos fallecidos por este hecho, que causó el mayor número de bajas al Ejército mexicano desde que se tiene conocimiento que los grupos criminales que operan en Michoacán y Jalisco, como el Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, reclutaron a exmilitares colombianos para la siembra de explosivos artesanales.[4]
Key Information: Mauricio Ortiz, “Autoridades, campesinos y militares, las víctimas de narcominas en Michoacán y Jalisco.” Milenio. 28 May 2025, https://www.milenio.com/estados/narcominas-matan-a-autoridades-y-campesinos-en-michoacan-y-jalisco:
En los últimos meses, el uso de minas terrestres artesanales ha recrudecido los niveles de violencia en estados como Michoacán y Jalisco, donde elementos del Ejército mexicano y la Guardia Nacional han sido blanco recurrente de explosiones provocadas por artefactos improvisados colocados en caminos rurales por grupos del crimen organizado.
Desde 2021, el uso de minas terrestres artesanales se ha convertido en una estrategia sistemática del crimen organizado en regiones de alta presencia delictiva como Michoacán y Jalisco.
Inicialmente rudimentarias, con tubos de plástico galvanizado y pólvora, estas bombas improvisadas han evolucionado hacia dispositivos más sofisticados y letales, construidos con tubos metálicos rayados, mayor carga explosiva y fragmentos diseñados para maximizar el daño…
… La gravedad del fenómeno alcanzó su punto más crítico con el atentado ocurrido en enero de 2024 en Tlajomulco, Jalisco, donde seis elementos de la Fiscalía del Estado murieron por un artefacto explosivo no artesanal, presuntamente fabricado por una empresa especializada en armamento, lo que revela la posible participación de redes más amplias en el tráfico y manufactura de este tipo de armas.[5]
Incident Summary
Who: Mounted Guardia Nacional (GN) personnel with the Fuerza de reacción inmediata (FERI) riding in an armored tactical were targeted. The explosive device is suspected to have been planted by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación.
What: The FERI is an immediate reaction force of the Mexican National Guard which was engaging in ongoing counter-cartel operations in CJNG controlled territory. While travelling down a dirt road the armored vehicle detonated an improvised anti-vehicle mine (IAVM) which killed eight of the GN mounted personnel.
When: The landmine detonation took place on Tuesday 27 May 2025.
Where: The incident took place on a dirt road in Los Reyes, Michoacán which is near the border of Michoacán and Jalisco. This is a contested area where multiple cartels are engaged in ongoing conflict.
Why: Route mining for area denial—such as along dirt roads—in the back country of contested areas of Michoacán (as well as other CJNG controlled territories) has been taking place for some years now. IAVMs are used defensively to protect against incursions by mobile forces belonging to opposing cartels and criminal groups as well as Mexican federal and state forces.
Examples of Explosive Devices Recovered in Michoacán. Source: Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Michoacán, May 2025.
Analysis
Over roughly the last a year and a half, 17 military personnel have been killed by artisanal land mines and improvised explosive devices during the struggle with criminal armed groups throughout Mexico. According to El Universal, the Secretariat of National Defense (Defensa, formerly SEDENA), reports that the first recorded death of military personnel from cartel landmines occurred on, on 20 January 2024 in the municipality of Santa Maria del Oro, Jalisco, where one member of the military died.[6] This past Tuesday, 27 May 2025 accounts for the latest increase in this death toll.
Initially six, and ultimately eight elements lost their lives in the community of El Santuario, municipality of Los Reyes, Michoacán, near the border with Jalisco, when their armored vehicle and passed over an improvised mine.[7] This incident is consistent with past CJNG route mining activities. CJNG, Delta Group, has since disclaimed involvement in the incident via a video statement and instead claim R5 of Cárteles Unidos (their enemy) was responsible.[8] However, this statement is questionable given that CJNG has a history of blaming other criminal organizations for high profile incidents such as this which may result in significant blowback potentials against the cartel.
An excellent summary of recent landmine attacks in the region and verified by Milenio shows the following:
- 27 May 2025: Six Mexican Army soldiers patrolling in an area controlled by the CJNG and Los Reyes. killed and two seriously injured [who subsequently died] in Michoacán (mountainous area between Jalisco and Michoacán).
- 3 April 2025: A 65-year-old farmer killed after a landmine exploded as he was riding his motorcycle in the Puerta de Alambre ejido, in the municipality of Apatzingán, in the Tierra Caliente region.
- 31 January 2025: Defensa (formerly SEDENA) removes 87 artisanal mines in the Tierra Caliente communities of El Alcalde, Las Bateas, San Fernando, Presa del Rosario, Loma de los Hoyos, Puerta de Alambre, and Razo del Órgano. The Defense Ministry confirmed that both civilians and military personnel have been killed by the detonation of these mines.
- 14 January 2025: A 68-year-old teacher, Ramón Paz Salinas, was killed by a landmine in Apatzingán after the mine exploded while he was driving his truck on a dirt road between the communities of Las Bateas and El Tepetate.
- 18 December 2024: Two officials, Guardia nacional (GN) lieutenant and a sergeant from the 43rd Military Zone were killed in a mine detonation in El Ahogado, Buenavista
- 16 December 2024: Two soldiers were killed and five wounded in Cotija, Michoacán.
- 13 May 2024: Two soldiers were ambushed and killed in an attack employing explosive devices in Aguililla, Michoacán, in an attack with explosive devices.[9]
As noted above, the area where these recent incidents and attacks have occurred is notable for its role in evolving cartel explosive technology including improvised anti-personnel IEDs, improvised anti-vehicle mines (IAVMs) and weaponized aerial drones with IEDs secured to them (typically command detonated) and IED derived bomblets utilizing contact detonation.[10][11]
Additionally, the security environment in Mexico—most notably in areas where the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) is active—is seeing increased use of IEDs in both offensive and defensive operations. As noted in the Infobae report above:
In the first two months of 2025, the Mexican Army seized 1,255 devices [IEDs], a figure similar to those seized in all of 2022. Of the total number of devices seized, 33% were found in Michoacán.[12]
While not stated, CJNG is responsible for fielding a disproportionate amount of these devices. The cartel has consistently proven to be highly innovative in its IED designs with its utilization of specialized bombmaking cells which incorporate foreign ex-military and guerilla expertise—such as personnel from Colombia.[13][14] These criminal insurgent TTPs represent an increasing challenge and danger to both Mexican state law enforcement and military forces being deployed against the cartels.
Sources
“8 members of Mexico’s National guard killed in landmine explosion.” Mexico News Daily. 28 January 2025, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/landmine-explosion-kills-8/.
Carlos Arrieta and Manuel Espino, “Seis militares mueren al explotar un artefacto artesanal entre Jalisco y Michoacán; patrullaban en zona dominada por el CJNG.” El Universal. 27 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/seis-militares-mueren-al-explotar-una-artefacto-artesanal-entre-jalisco-y-michoacan-patrullaban-en-zona-dominada-por-el-cjng/.
Manuel Espino, “Suman ocho militares muertos por detonación de explosivo en límites de Michoacán y Jalisco; realizaban patrullaje en zona de conflict.” El Universal. 28 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/suman-ocho-militares-muertos-por-detonacion-de-explosivo-en-limites-de-michoacan-y-jalisco-realizaban-patrullaje-en-zona-de-conflicto/.
Thomas Graham, “Eight Mexican soldiers killed by improvised explosive device.” The Guardian. 28 May 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/28/mexican-soldiers-killed-improvised-explosive-device.
Elizabeth Guzmán and Jorge Martínez, ”Mueren 6 militares tras explosión de narcomina en Michoacán.” Milenio. 28 May 2025, https://www.milenio.com/policia/reportan-muerte-militares-explosion-limites-jalisco.
Mauricio Ortiz, “Autoridades, campesinos y militares, las víctimas de narcominas en Michoacán y Jalisco.” Milenio. 28 May 2025, https://www.milenio.com/estados/narcominas-matan-a-autoridades-y-campesinos-en-michoacan-y-jalisco.
Anayeli Tapia Sandoval, “Reportan muerte de seis militares tras explosión de narcomina en los límites de Jalisco y Michoacán.” Infobae. 25 May 2025, https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2025/05/28/reportan-muerte-de-seis-militares-tras-explosion-de-mina-en-los-limites-de-jalisco-y-michoacan/.
Daniela Wachauf, “En tres años han fallecido 17 soldados y 16 civiles.” 29 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/en-tres-anos-han-fallecido-17-soldados-y-16-civiles/.
Significance: Antipersonnel Mines, Artisanal Mines, Criminal Armed Groups, Crime Wars, Improvised Anti-Vehicle Mines (IAVMs), Minas artesanales, Minas terrestres, TTPs.
Endnotes
[1] In English, the title reads: “Six military personnel killed when an artisanal device exploded between Jalisco and Michoacán; they were patrolling in an area dominated by the CJNG.” The text reads: “At least six soldiers were killed when a homemade explosive device detonated on the border between Michoacán and Jalisco, an area dominated by the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), local sources reported to EL UNIVERSAL. […] Six [Beechcraft T-6C] Texan planes and four helicopters were dispatched to the scene to provide support to ground forces. […] Preliminary security and community sources in the area, which borders the state of Jalisco, reported that since last Saturday, the military group “Murciélagos” had been conducting an operation aimed at dismantling a Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación operations and training center in Santa María del Oro.”
[2] In English, the title reads: “Six soldiers reported dead after narco-mine explosion on the border between Jalisco and Michoacán.” The text reads: “Six members of the Mexican Army were reportedly killed and two others seriously injured after a mine exploded in the mountainous area between Jalisco and Michoacán. […] On Tuesday, 27 May [2025], while the military convoy was traveling on a dirt road in the town of El Santuario, an explosive device hidden on the road was activated. […] This area and its surroundings are considered key points in the territorial dispute between the CJNG and other criminal cells, such as Cárteles Unidos and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. […] Since 2022, multiple incidents have been documented in municipalities such as Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista Tomatlán, Los Reyes, Coalcomán, and Cotija, where mines, many of them homemade, have caused casualties among both military personnel and civilians, including farmers and agricultural workers. […]Although initially rudimentary, the mines used by the CJNG have evolved in sophistication. In Jalisco, devices have been found that do not fall into the “homemade” category, suggesting an improvement in the cartel’s technical capabilities. […] In response to this situation, Mexican authorities have intensified operations to locate and deactivate these explosive devices. In the first two months of 2025, the Mexican Army seized 1,255 devices, a figure similar to those seized in all of 2022. Of the total number of devices seized, 33% were found in Michoacán.”
[3] In English, the title reads: “Six soldiers killed after narco-mine explosion in Michoacán.” The text reads: “Six soldiers were killed after a landmine exploded in the community of El Santuario, in the municipality of Los Reyes, Michoacán. […]Official sources reported that the incident occurred in a mountainous area of the territory disputed by criminal groups belonging to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Los Reyes. […] Public security and military institutions reported that a group of officers had been deployed to the area to carry out an operation against crime. […] However, while traveling in an armored vehicle on a dirt road, the mine exploded, killing six officers and wounding two others.”[4] In English, the title reads: “Authorities, farmers, and military personnel, victims of narco mines in Michoacán and Jalisco.” The text reads: “In recent months, the use of homemade landmines has intensified violence in states such as Michoacán and Jalisco, where members of the Mexican Army and National Guard have been repeatedly targeted by explosions caused by improvised devices placed on rural roads by organized crime groups. […] Since 2021, the use of homemade landmines has become a systematic strategy of organized crime in regions with high crime rates such as Michoacán and Jalisco. […] Initially rudimentary, made from galvanized plastic pipes and gunpowder, these improvised bombs have evolved into more sophisticated and lethal devices, constructed with scratched metal pipes, larger explosive charges, and fragments designed to maximize damage. […] The severity of the phenomenon reached its peak with the attack in January 2024 in Tlajomulco, Jalisco, where six members of the State Attorney General’s Office were killed by a non-homemade explosive device, allegedly manufactured by a company specializing in weapons, revealing the possible involvement of broader networks in the trafficking and manufacture of this type of weapon.”
[4] In English, the title reads, “Eight military personnel killed by explosive detonation in Michoacan and Jalisco borders; they were patrolling in conflict zone.” The text reads: “The number of Special Forces military personnel killed in the explosion of a mine-type device on the border between Michoacán and Jalisco has risen to eight, federal sources reported.[ …] The initial report had been of two officers and four troops killed yesterday while patrolling in an armored vehicle of the Fuerza Especial de Reacción Inmediata [Special Immediate Reaction Force] (FERI), in the community of El Santuario, municipality of Los Reyes, Michoacán, as part of an operation in the area. […] However, federal sources commented that eight soldiers have already died as a result of this event, which caused the highest number of casualties to the Mexican Army since it is known that criminal groups operating in Michoacán and Jalisco, such as the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, recruited Colombian ex-military personnel to plant artisanal explosives.
[5] Mauricio Ortiz, “Autoridades, campesinos y militares, las víctimas de narcominas en Michoacán y Jalisco.” Milenio. 28 May 2025, https://www.milenio.com/estados/narcominas-matan-a-autoridades-y-campesinos-en-michoacan-y-jalisco.
[6] Daniela Wachauf, “En tres años han fallecido 17 soldados y 16 civiles.” El Universal. 29 May 2025, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/en-tres-anos-han-fallecido-17-soldados-y-16-civiles/.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Sol Prendido, “The CJNG Deny IED Attack That Killed 8 Soldiers.” The Cartel Insider. 29 May 2025, https://cartelinsider.com/the-cjng-deny-ied-attack-that-killed-8-soldiers/.
[9] Op.cit., “Autoridades, campesinos y militares” at Note 5.
[10] See, for example, Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, Illicit Tactical Progress: Mexican Cartel Tactical Notes 2013-2020. Bloomington: Xlibris, 2021.
[11] See, for example, Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, Criminal Drone Evolution: Cartel Weaponization of Aerial IEDs. Bloomington: Xlibris, 2021.
[12] English translation of the two sentences, see Op.cit., “Reportan muerte de seis militares”” at Note 2.
[13] We witnessed this with a ‘Papa Bomba’ attached to a weaponized drone in October 2017. Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, “Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #35: Weaponized Drone/UAV/UAS Seized in Valtierrilla, Guanajuato with Remote Detonation IED (‘Papa Bomba’) Payload.” Small Wars Journal. 23 October 2017, https://archive.smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/mexican-cartel-tactical-note-35.
[14] See also Thomas Graham, “Eight Mexican soldiers killed by improvised explosive device.” The Guardian. 28 May 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/28/mexican-soldiers-killed-improvised-explosive-device.
Additional Reading
Keegan Hamilton and Kate Linthicum, “Soldiers and civilians are dying as Mexican cartels embrace a terrifying new weapon: Land mines.” Los Angeles Times. 9 March 2024.
Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, “Four SEDENA Soldiers Killed by Anti-Personnel Land Mine in CJNG Camp Outside Aguililla, Michoacán—Proliferating Use.” C/O Futures Cartel Research Note Series. 6 March 2024.
Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, “CJNG Improvised Anti-Vehicle Mine (IAVM) Destroys Mexican Army Vehicle in Minefield Near Apatzingán.” C/O Futures Cartel Research Note Series. 8 July 2023.
John P. Sullivan and Robert J. Bunker, “Mexican Cartel Strategic Note No. 34: Anti-Vehicle Mine Targeting SEDENA Convoy between Tepalcatepec and Aguililla, Michoacán.” Small Wars Journal. 16 February 2022.
Robert J. Bunker, David A. Kuhn, and John P. Sullivan, “Use of Improvised Land (Anti-Vehicle) Mines in Mexican Crime Wars.” Counter-IED Report. Autumn 2022.
John P. Sullivan, Robert J. Bunker, and David A. Kuhn, “Improvised Anti-Vehicle Land Mines (IAVMs) in Mexico: Cartel Emergent Weaponry Use.” Homeland Security Today. 8 November 2022.
