Drone attack hits prosecutor's office near U.S. border in Mexico

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A drone attack hit the prosecutor's office in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, a key hub for drug trafficking, authorities said Wednesday without identifying the suspected assailants.

Baja California state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade told reporters that the attack with three explosive-laden drones caused some damage but resulted in no casualties.

The prosecutor's office said on Facebook that the attack hit the anti-kidnapping unit of the state attorney general's office. In a social media post, the state attorney general said that "no attack will stop investigative work or commitment to justice."

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Tijuana is a major crossing point between Mexico and the United States, and a key center for cross-border drug smuggling.

In June, Mexican authorities discovered a tunnel from Tijuana leading toward the U.S.

Andrade said the drones used in the attack dropped improvised explosive devices containing nails and pieces of metal, damaging six vehicles parked outside the prosecutor's office. Local media reported that officials said the drones also contained gunpowder and BBs.

The U.S. consulate in Tijuana had earlier reported explosions and asked its citizens to stay away from the area.

In September, assailants threw Molotov cocktails at vehicles at the prosecutor's offices in Tijuana and Ensenada, another city in Baja California.

Some attacks on judicial officials in Mexico have been deadly. Last week, a prosecution official in Playas de Rosarito, just south of Tijuana, was gunned down.

Cartels and other criminal organizations in Mexico have increasingly used drones in attacks against rival groups or authorities.

In 2024, officials said an alleged cartel attack using drones in southern Mexico killed at least six people and injured 13 others.

According to the U.S.-based InSight Crime think tank, the powerful Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel has used explosive drones at least since 2020.

In 2023, the Mexican army said that drug cartels have increased their use of roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices — especially bomb-dropping drones.