Mexican Navy destroys 32 opium poppy plantations in Nayarit

Nayarit, Mexico — The Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina, Semar) announced that between January 8 and 10, 2026, personnel assigned to the Tenth Naval Zone conducted an operation in the state of Nayarit that resulted in the location and eradication of 32 opium poppy plantations, as part of ongoing actions to combat illicit crops.

According to official information, the work was carried out at various points near the town of San Rafael, belonging to the municipality of Del Nayar, an area considered difficult to access due to its geographical conditions.

In this sector, naval personnel detected a total of 32 opium poppy plantations distributed over an approximate area of 111,400 square meters.

After their location, the plantations were destroyed on-site in accordance with established protocols. The Navy detailed that as a result of this operation, approximately 3,330,500 opium poppy plants were eliminated, representing an approximate weight of 726,950 kilograms, thereby preventing this production from advancing to the subsequent stages of illegal processing and commercialization.

The agency emphasized that this type of operation is part of a continuous strategy to confront drug trafficking in the country. In this regard, it recalled that naval personnel receive ongoing training and instructions to carry out reconnaissance, securing, and destruction tasks of prohibited crops in various regions of the national territory.

“It is worth noting that, as part of the permanent fight against drug trafficking and in light of the increase in the consumption and popularity of illegal drugs worldwide, the Mexican Navy maintains instructed naval personnel to establish operations for the location, securing, and destruction of illicit plantations,” the agency pointed out.

Likewise, the Navy emphasized that these actions are coordinated with the general efforts of the Government of Mexico aimed at reducing drug production from its source, directly affecting the operational capabilities of criminal groups dedicated to this activity.

“With these actions, the Mexican Navy contributes to the sum of efforts of the Government of Mexico to combat the production and manufacture of drugs in our country, thereby weakening the drug manufacturing by criminal groups and preventing its distribution, sale, and export to other countries, which prevents it from being within reach of Mexican youth, weakening the capabilities of criminal groups and preventing their distribution, sale, and export to other countries, thereby preventing these substances from being within reach of the population, especially Mexican youth,” it specified.

Finally, the Navy reiterated that it will continue deploying operations of this type in different states of the country, with the objective of halting the production of narcotics and contributing to public security and health.