The mine explosion in Jalisco and Michoacán killed six Mexican Army soldiers and injured two others as troops targeted a suspected CJNG training camp.
On Tuesday, May 27, a mine detonated beneath a Mexican Army convoy in a remote sector along the Jalisco–Michoacán border, killing six soldiers and gravely injuring two more. The blast struck near the town of El Santuario, where troops had patrolled a dirt track leading to a suspected CJNG training site. Emergency crews airlifted the injured to a regional hospital for treatment.
The Army, National Guard and Special Reaction and Intervention Force (FERI) began the operation last Saturday. Intelligence sources say they aimed to dismantle a CJNG recruitment and weapons training camp hidden in the rugged foothills. During initial sweeps, troops confiscated ammunition boxes, night-vision optics and makeshift firing ranges carved into limestone outcrops. Soldiers navigated narrow dirt trails hemmed in by dense vegetation and precipitous cliffs, knowing that cartels frequently set booby traps. Military bulletins note that cartels planted improvised explosive devices along these routes to slow government forces, forcing teams to advance cautiously as they secured firing positions and arms caches.
El Universal reports that the convoy triggered a pressure-activated improvised explosive device hidden under a worn tire tread, transforming the military vehicle into a twisted shell. Witnesses described a deafening blast that echoed through the valley and sent debris flying. Rescue teams reached the site within minutes, but the explosion left little chance for survival. According to El Universal, the blast killed six soldiers on the spot. Soldiers airlifted two survivors, and medical staff are working to stabilize them.
Uno TV identified two of the dead as Second Deputy Inspector Jovany Rosales and Deputy Agent Jorge Alberto Cruz Velázquez. Both served in elite units focused on cartel surveillance and extraction missions. Fellow troops praised Rosales and Cruz Velázquez for their professionalism, noting Rosales earned a medal for valor in a 2023 operation. Sedena has not confirmed their names or released the identities of the other fallen soldiers, citing an ongoing investigation.
Security analysts point out that El Santuario sits at the crossroads of a violent rivalry between the CJNG and rival cells such as the United Cartels and the New Michoacán Family. Each cartel aims to control the smuggling lanes that carry methamphetamine, heroin and precursor chemicals into the United States. In recent weeks, residents in nearby ranch lands reported hearing automatic gunfire as CJNG convoys clashed with United Cartels lookouts at dusk. Factional leaders like Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez—known as “El R5”—and Alfonso Fernández Magallón, alias “Poncho La Quiringua,” have assembled armed escorts to protect hidden labs in ranch lands and old mining shafts.
So far, neither Sedena nor the governments of Jalisco and Michoacán have issued public statements or announced any arrests. Government spokespeople say they must verify all field reports and account for missing personnel before releasing details. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity told reporters that army leadership remains deeply concerned about the renewed escalation of cartel violence. The official says commanders will weigh additional ground and air support for troops in high-risk zones.
The CJNG has flooded the broader Tierra Caliente region with improvised mines as a defensive strategy. Tierra Caliente, which spans parts of Michoacán, Jalisco and Guerrero, serves as both a coca-growing hub and a strategic corridor linking Pacific ports to inland markets. Since 2022, security forces have discovered mines in Aguililla, Tepalcatepec, Buenavista Tomatlán, Los Reyes, Coalcomán and Cotija. These devices have killed soldiers, federal agents and civilians, including farmers and delivery drivers. Authorities have closed segments of Federal Highway 110 and rerouted civilian traffic through longer detours while sappers clear adjacent hillsides.
Cartel engineers have upgraded their tactics. Security forces in Jalisco recently found a mine equipped with a remote-controlled detonator and packed with military-grade fragmentation. EOD officers say some mines now carry vibration sensors that detonate when vehicle movements exceed a preset threshold, adapting military-grade technology to criminal warfare. Intelligence analysts say this shift signals that the CJNG has tapped international arms traffickers to source more reliable explosive components.
Sedena’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams have responded with advanced clearance techniques. In the first two months of 2025, the Army seized 1,255 explosive devices—almost matching the total confiscated in all of 2022—with 33 percent recovered in Michoacán alone. Engineers now use ground-penetrating radar, drone-mounted sensors and bomb-sniffing dogs to sweep roads before convoys advance. The military also deployed additional sapper squads trained in rapid-estimate explosive logistics to support regional commanders facing increased mine threats.
Civilians near the Jalisco–Michoacán frontier say they live in constant fear. Community leader María López says families avoid traveling to larger towns for basic supplies because they fear hidden mines. “Every road feels like a trap,” López says. Aid organizations such as the Mexican Red Cross have set up mobile clinics at highway checkpoints to treat blast survivors, but they struggle to reach remote communities cut off by security roadblocks. Human rights groups warn that mines not only kill but also force entire villages to flee in search of safety and aid.
