Mexico’s defense minister comments on reports of US drones being neutralized at the border
Mexico’s Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo stated that drones in the border region are mainly used by migrant smugglers to search for routes without the presence of US authorities. He was commenting on Fox News reports about US military operations to neutralize suspected cartel drones.
As Mexico News Daily reports, Trevilla Trejo neither confirmed nor denied Fox News’ claim about Mexican military involvement in planning US operations. According to the television channel, citing a senior US Department of War official, US military personnel neutralized about 100 suspected cartel drones at the country’s southern border in August. Fox News also reported that the operations were allegedly coordinated with Mexican military and border authorities.
Security statements in Zacatecas state
The statements were made at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference in the municipality of Guadalupe, which is part of the Zacatecas City metropolitan area. Marcela Figueroa, head of the National Public Security System, reported that an average of 0.17 murders per day was recorded in the state in August. According to her, this is 85% lower than in September 2024.
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Figueroa also stated that the average daily murder rate since the beginning of 2026 has been 0.2, which is 50% lower than in 2025 and 96% lower compared with 2021. During the first seven months of 2026, 51 murders were recorded in the state, the eighth-lowest figure among Mexico’s 32 federal entities.
Detentions and the Atizapán case
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that from October 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026, 3,824 people were detained in Zacatecas state on suspicion of serious crimes, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and violent robbery. During this period, 1,240 firearms and 7.3 tonnes of drugs were seized, and six clandestine methamphetamine production laboratories were dismantled.
García Harfuch also stated that one of the two people detained in the case involving the deaths of four people in Atizapán de Zaragoza had commercial relations with Jonathan Meléndez, keyboardist of the band Camilo Séptimo, and extorted money from him. According to the official, there had been demands for money and threats before the deaths. The deceased include Meléndez, his pregnant wife, their three-year-old daughter, and a domestic worker.
