Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — Mexican federal and state security forces seized a large cache of weapons, including a grenade launcher, during a joint operation in the Juan Bautista neighborhood on Saturday, but the suspects managed to flee, authorities said.
The operation began at 11:30 a.m. following intelligence reports of heavily armed individuals in the area. Officers from the State Prosecutor’s Office’s investigative police, the National Guard, the Mexican Army, and the Mexican Navy cordoned off the neighborhood to prevent any reaction from criminal cells.
Inside the targeted location, officers confiscated high-caliber rifles and pistols, dozens of loaded magazines, and ammunition of various calibers. The discovery of a grenade launcher — a weapon with high destructive power — raised particular alarm, highlighting the level of armament and danger posed by criminal groups operating in the state’s Maya region.
Despite the tight perimeter, the primary targets and suspected criminals guarding the weapons noticed the arrival of patrols in time and escaped through nearby brush and properties. Federal and state forces immediately launched a search operation, but no arrests have been reported so far.
The arsenal, grenade launcher, and seized magazines were carefully packaged by forensic experts and transported under military escort to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the state capital. Federal authorities have opened a formal investigation against those responsible and remain on alert for possible repercussions.
