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60 Drone Bombs in an Unplated Pickup: Gunmen Open Fire on Sinaloa State Police in San Ignacio, 3 Arrested With an AK-47 and Body Armor

By The Narco Blog · September 27, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Two handcuffed men with blurred faces stand behind a table of seized rifles, magazines and tactical vests, with rows of finned drone-launched explosives laid out on tarps in front and soldiers and state police on either side
Two of the three men arrested after the San Ignacio shootout, displayed with the seized rifle, pistol, magazines, tactical vests and the 60 drone-launched explosives. Photo: Coordinación Interinstitucional Sinaloa handout, via Extraoficial.

Sinaloa state police arrested three armed men and seized 60 explosive devices built to be dropped from drones after a shootout in San Ignacio municipality, according to reports published Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, by Noroeste, Luz Noticias and Extraoficial. The outlets cite Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat (SSP). The SSP said the men opened fire on officers from its Special Operations Group (Grupo de Operaciones Especiales Sinaloa) who were chasing their pickup toward a river.

Two handcuffed men with blurred faces stand behind a table of seized rifles, magazines and tactical vests, with rows of finned drone-launched explosives laid out on tarps in front and soldiers and state police on either side
Two of the three men arrested after the San Ignacio shootout, displayed with the seized rifle, pistol, magazines, tactical vests and the 60 drone-launched explosives. Photo: Coordinación Interinstitucional Sinaloa handout, via Extraoficial.

A chase between Estación Dimas and Duranguito

According to the SSP account reported by Noroeste, the officers were driving from Estación Dimas toward Duranguito when they spotted a suspicious truck. The truck fled toward a river, and the police followed. Armed men then got out and attacked the officers, the SSP said.

Police returned fire and arrested three men. Noroeste reported that one of them was wounded; Luz Noticias said he received medical care and is out of danger. None of the reports named the suspects, and none mentioned any injured officers. None of the reports attributed the men to a specific cartel or faction.

What police say they seized

Noroeste listed the items seized, citing the SSP:

  • 60 explosive devices designed to be launched from drones
  • An AK-47-type rifle (7.62x39mm) with six magazines and 150 rounds
  • A 9mm pistol with one magazine and 10 rounds
  • Three tactical vests and three ballistic plates
  • A GMC Sierra pickup with no license plates

The detainees and the evidence were handed over to the relevant authorities for investigation.

A red GMC Sierra crew-cab pickup truck without plates parked on a dirt lot in front of green brush
The unplated GMC Sierra pickup authorities say the suspects were traveling in. Photo: Coordinación Interinstitucional Sinaloa handout, via Extraoficial.

Drone bombs keep turning up in southern Sinaloa

San Ignacio lies in the hills north of Mazatlán, where federal and state forces have stepped up operations this month. This is at least the third seizure of homemade explosives in the area that The Narco Blog has reported in a week. In one, nine alleged “Mayito Flaco” cartel members were caught with 40 explosive devices after gunmen fired on Marines near Mazatlán. In another, 14 homemade bombs were found during arrests around El Quelite. Cartel drones are also a concern on the U.S. side: DHS reported 378 cartel drone sightings at the border in a single month.

Sources

This report was compiled on Sept. 27, 2026. It relies on the outlets above, which cite Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat. The suspects have not been named or charged publicly, and they are presumed innocent. Authorities have not said which group, if any, they belong to or what the explosives were meant for.