Grenade event in Mexico on Tue 14th July 2026

A joint operation by state and federal forces in Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, led to the arrest of five hitmen from a criminal cell operating in the Costa region, as well as the seizure of a cache of high-calibre weapons, including a Minimi machine gun and a fragmentation grenade.

The state attorney general, Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla, reported that the seizure took place on 14 July on the Santiago Pinotepa Nacional–Salina Cruz coastal road.

The operation was the result of intelligence work and the deployment of security checkpoints, involving personnel from the Oaxaca State Attorney General’s Office (FGEO), the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) and the Mexican Army.

The prosecuting authorities formally identified the five detainees as:

• J.M.C.C., aged 26.
• A.S.L., aged 23.
• D.M.C., alias “Muelas”, aged 23.
• D.A.M., alias “Teletubi”, aged 36.
• K.S.R., aged 23.

The accused, who are from the towns of San José Manialtepec, San Juan Cacahuatepec and the port of Acapulco in Guerrero, are alleged to be members of a criminal cell responsible for acts of violence in Pinotepa Nacional.

Initial investigations link them to high-impact criminal activities in the coastal region, such as murder, extortion, protection rackets, small-scale drug dealing, enforced disappearances, the illegal possession of firearms and drug trafficking.

Prosecutor Rodríguez Alamilla emphasised that, given the nature of the weapons seized, this confiscation is shaping up to be one of the most significant in recent years on the Oaxacan coast.

The inventory of the seized items includes:

• 1 Minimi machine gun
• 6 AK-47 assault rifles
• 3 R-15-type rifles
• 1 M4-type rifle 3 handguns (9 mm calibre)
• 1 fragmentation grenade
• Cartridges and magazines of various calibres (to be officially quantified)
• 7 ballistic helmets and 5 tactical vests fitted with 10 ballistic plates
• 2 sets of counterfeit uniforms and insignia bearing logos similar to those of public security forces
• Metal devices known as ‘tyre spikes’

The detainees, the vehicles and the entire arsenal were handed over to the relevant federal authorities. The State Public Prosecutor’s Office is continuing its investigations to trace the origin of the military-grade weapons, dismantle the group’s financial structure and establish its probable involvement in recent homicides in the coastal area.