Navy seizes over 300 IEDs and 300 kg of explosives in Sinaloa

The Mexican Navy on Tuesday said that its personnel had seized more than 300 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and around 300 kilograms of explosives in a southern municipality of Sinaloa, a state where IEDs have been used in the long-running battle between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR) said in a statement that navy personnel found the IEDs and explosive material near Agua Verde, a small town in Rosario, a municipality that borders both Nayarit and Durango.

Como parte de las acciones para fortalecer la seguridad en Sinaloa, en El Rosario, elementos de @SEMAR_mx localizaron más de 300 artefactos explosivos improvisados y cerca de 300 kg de explosivos.

Personal naval especializado aseguró la zona y deshabilitó los artefactos en el… pic.twitter.com/QfhWrg0wJ5

— Gabinete de Seguridad de México (@GabSeguridadMX) August 18, 2026

The discovery was made at a rural property during an operation led by the navy in conjunction with the federal Security Ministry and the Federal Attorney General’s Office.

SEMAR said that the area where the IEDs and explosives were found was cordoned off and that specialized personnel from the Navy’s Explosive Devices Search, Location and Neutralization team defused the devices “on site.”

“Through these actions, the Ministry of the Navy, via the Mexican Navy and in coordination with agencies of the [federal] Security Cabinet, helps to improve security conditions,” SEMAR said.

The ministry reaffirmed its “commitment to continue carrying out operations to uphold the rule of law and ensure the safety of Mexican families.”

SEMAR didn’t report any arrests in connection with the discovery of the IEDs and explosives.

This week’s bust came just over two months after state and federal security authorities located more than 550 IEDs at another property in Rosario. Significant numbers of IEDs have also been seized in other parts of the state, including in the municipalities of San Ignacio, Culiacán and Badiraguato, where convicted drug trafficker and former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was born.

The artisanal explosive devices have been used by the Los Chapitos and Los Mayos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel during their bloody conflict, which intensified in 2024 after Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was kidnapped by one of El Chapo’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López, and forced onto a plane that flew him and Guzmán López to New Mexico, where both men were arrested by U.S. authorities. IEDs have also been used in Sinaloa to attack homes, businesses and police.

According to the newspaper Milenio, authorities seized 5,298 IEDs in Sinaloa last year, the highest number of any state in Mexico. Citing information it obtained via a freedom of information request, Milenio reported in February that the Mexican military and National Guard seized more IEDs across Mexico last year than ever before. The total number of IEDs seized by the military and the National Guard last year — 9,802 — represented an increase of 272% compared to 2024.

The increase in the use of IEDs — and authorities’ seizure of the devices — has been linked, in part, to the conflict between Los Chapos and Los Mayos. Other Mexican criminal groups, including the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), also use IEDs against rival organizations and authorities. After Sinaloa, the state where authorities seized the highest number of IEDs last year was Michoacán, where various crime groups, including the CJNG, operate.