Drug cartels across Mexico are escalating their use of car bombs, explosives-laden drones, and improvised explosive devices, a trend that has intensified security concerns within the country and could impact relations with the United States. The escalating tactics follow a pattern of increasing violence associated with these groups.
One recent incident occurred Sunday night outside a police station in Ojocaliente, a city in the northwestern state of Zacatecas. The explosion, involving approximately 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of explosives, injured 11 people and damaged over 60 homes, according to Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's security chief. Zacatecas has recorded 23 attacks involving explosives this year, including six involving vehicles packed with explosives, stated state Attorney General Cristian Paul Camacho.
Experts note that cartels employ these explosive tactics to intimidate rivals and authorities, pressure the government, and instill fear among the civilian population. The use of car bombs can also serve as a tactic to draw attention and potentially pressure authorities into negotiations, particularly when criminal groups feel cornered.
Historians of cartel violence point to earlier instances, such as a 1994 attack in Guadalajara attributed to the Tijuana Cartel targeting a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. More recently, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has been increasingly associated with the use of explosives as it expands its operations. Authorities have linked the CJNG to two recent bombings in small cities: one in Michoacán in December that resulted in five fatalities, and the attack in Zacatecas.
Mexican cartels began more extensively employing explosives roughly five years ago. Tactics have included dropping explosives from drones to attack security forces or rival organizations, and burying devices to defend or control territory. In 2023, roadway bombs in Jalisco state killed six people and injured 14. The following year, Mexican authorities reported seizing approximately 2,800 explosive devices nationwide over a 4 1/2-year period. In a notable incident in 2025, eight soldiers were killed in Michoacán by an explosive device.
"It is all a bad development in Mexico," said Vanda Felbab-Brown, an organized crime expert at the Brookings Institution. "We are facing steady intensification of violence," she added, noting that these actions "greatly intensify the atmosphere of fear and retaliation."
Mexico has historically resisted classifying cartel violence as terrorism, partly out of concern that such a designation could lead to foreign intervention and negatively impact tourism and investment. Another argument presented is that terrorism typically involves political or ideological motives, whereas cartel activities are primarily driven by profit.
Despite these arguments, civilians have been deliberate targets in past attacks. In 2008, grenades thrown into a crowd in Morelia killed eight people, and three years later, 52 people died when gunmen set fire to a casino in northern Mexico.
The Trump administration's designation of several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations has added a layer of complexity, particularly concerning the potential for military action and legal challenges surrounding such responses.