The Narco Blog

12,000 Rounds and 3 Drones the Army Says Dropped Explosives: Troops Raid El Verde, Concordia, Near Mazatlán, Where Kidnapped Vizsla Silver Workers Were Found

By The Narco Blog · October 1, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Mexican Army special forces soldier bends over a cardboard box holding a carbon-frame drone in brush in Concordia, Sinaloa — A Mexican Army soldier checks a box holding drone parts seized in rural Concordia, Sinaloa, in operations reported Sept. 28, 2026. Photo: Gabinete de Seguridad, via Noroeste.

Mexican Army troops seized more than 12,000 cartridges, three rifles and three drones that the Defense Ministry says were used to drop improvised explosives, in two operations in rural Concordia, Sinaloa, about 35 kilometres east of Mazatlán, Noroeste and Línea Directa reported on Sept. 28, 2026. One of the two raids was in El Verde, the Concordia community where, CBC News has reported, the bodies of nine kidnapped Vizsla Silver mine workers were found in February.

Mexican Army soldiers hold an 'Ejército Mexicano' banner behind seized rifles, ammunition belts, cartridges, drones in boxes and tactical vests laid out in a forest clearing — The weapons, ammunition, drones and tactical gear the Army says it seized in Los Limones and El Verde, Concordia. Photo: Gabinete de Seguridad, via Noroeste.

What the Army says it found

According to Noroeste, which cited the federal Security Cabinet, soldiers in the community of Los Limones seized two rifles, 7,282 cartridges, 12 magazines, six linked ammunition belts, three kilograms of marijuana, three drones with 10 batteries, five tactical vests and 23 ballistic plates.

In El Verde, they seized another rifle, 32 magazines, 4,900 cartridges, four tactical vests and eight ballistic plates. Línea Directa, citing a Defense Ministry statement, described the three drones as “used to drop improvised explosive devices.” Everything was handed to the federal Attorney General’s Office. Neither outlet reported any arrests, and neither named a criminal group.

A day later, Los Noticieristas reported that soldiers found 39 magazines, 1,319 cartridges, six tactical vests and 12 ballistic plates in Los Cerritos, also in Concordia, again with no arrests reported.

Why the drones stand out

Borderland Beat, writing about the seizure on Oct. 1, described the drones as first-person-view (FPV) models. It said that type is “exceedingly rare in Mexico,” where cartels mostly use commercial DJI drones rigged to drop explosives. FPV drones are usually flown straight into a target. Borderland Beat said the first documented FPV use in Mexico was around April 2025, by CJNG members it described as affiliated with Los Mayos. No Mexican authority has said what model the Concordia drones were.

Concordia’s recent history

Concordia is where armed men kidnapped 10 Vizsla Silver workers in January. Mexican authorities have said a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel carried it out, CBC reported. Authorities have not linked this week’s seizures to that case. For travel context, see our Mazatlán safety page.

Sources

Reported Oct. 1, 2026, from the outlets above, which relied on the Defense Ministry and the Security Cabinet. Authorities have not said who owned the seized material or what model the drones were. The FPV description comes from Borderland Beat.