Is Cabo San Lucas Safe Right Now? Los Cabos Travel Advisory and Cartel News (2026)

Is Los Cabos safe to visit? Here is the current U.S. State Department advisory for the state it’s in, official safety guidance, which criminal groups are reported in the area, and our latest coverage. Conditions change; check the full advisory before you travel.

All destinations and border crossings · Mexico travel and border-crossing safety guide

Top photo: Dusk street scene with string lights in San José del Cabo. Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (license), via Wikimedia Commons.

U.S. travel advisory for Baja California Sur

Level 2: Exercise increased caution (Mexico advisory issued 2026-05-29).

There are no specific restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state.

Read the full advisory at travel.state.gov

Criminal groups reported in Baja California Sur

• Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG): reported presence (as of 2018) [Justice in Mexico (Univ. of San Diego), 2018-03 · news/research]

Reported presence is state-wide and as stated by each source; it doesn’t describe any specific neighborhood or tourist zone.

Recent incidents

Selected security incidents reported in or near Los Cabos since 2024 by official sources and established outlets, newest first. This is a selection of coverage, not a crime rate, a forecast or a measure of risk to visitors. Unverified reports (social media, video channels, blogs) are not shown.

• 2026-09-25: Narcomantas attributed to Los Chapitos and addressed to Mexico's president and security secretary appeared in Baja California Sur, calling for an investigation into unnamed members. [TRAC (Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium), 2026-09-25 · news/research]
• 2026-05-31: A 31-year-old California man was killed in crossfire between Mexican soldiers and armed civilians near San Jose del Cabo airport; two soldiers and several civilians were wounded and the gunmen fled. (1 killed) [New York Post, 2026-06-02 · news/research]
• 2025-10-05: Photos circulated of two 'narco-banners' reportedly left on the San Jose del Cabo–Cabo San Lucas roadway, signed by the Sinaloa Cartel's La Chapiza faction and addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel and DEA Administrator Terry Cole with threats against Americans; San Jose del Cabo Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez said the banners were never placed, and Baja California Sur's attorney general said 46 similar banners from April–July 2025 proved 'false and unsubstantiated meant to infuse fear into residents.' [Border Report, 2025-10 · news/research]
• 2025-08-09: Two men in Cabo were reported as allegedly kidnapped by police, in a case covered as a Cabo security incident. [Mexico Daily Post, 2025-08-09 · news/research]
• 2025-04-25: A shootout spread through several neighborhoods of Cabo San Lucas in the early hours of the morning. [Travel And Tour World, 2025-04-25 · news/research]
• 2025-04-25: Seven people were arrested for the murder of officer Ulises Cota Montano, including Marcos Ivan N alias Marquitos, identified as leader of a Los Mayos cell in La Paz and Los Cabos. (7 arrested) [Cartel Insider, 2025-04-25 · news/research]
• 2025-04-24: Gunmen set fire to three transit buses in separate incidents across La Paz and Los Cabos; videos showed men throwing fuel inside a bus as passengers escaped. [Mixed Times, 2025-04-27 · news/research]
• 2025-04-22: A law enforcement officer was killed along with three other homicide victims in Baja California Sur amid a wave of cartel violence. (4 killed) [Travel And Tour World, 2025-04-22 · news/research]
• 2025-04: Alleged cartel threats against officials appeared on banners in Baja California Sur during the April 2025 security crisis. [Travel And Tour World, 2025-04 · news/research]

Practical safety tips

• The US State Department's May 2026 advisory kept Baja California Sur at Level 2, urging travelers to exercise increased caution due to crime. [Parade · news/research]
• The US Embassy issued a security alert in April 2025 for an emerging security situation in Los Cabos and La Paz, advising extreme caution. [Mexico Daily Post, 2025-05-03 · news/research]
• Mexico's SESNSP data showed Baja California Sur homicides rising from 34 in the first quarter of 2025 to 69 in the April-June quarter. [Cartel Insider · news/research]
• INEGI surveys showed a rise in the perception of insecurity in Los Cabos and La Paz tied to cartel-linked violence. [Cartel Insider · news/research]
• Los Cabos international arrivals fell 7.1 percent, from over 545,000 in 2025 to 507,000 in 2026, a decline concentrated in March. [Yahoo Travel · news/research]
• The Los Cabos Hotel Association said global media coverage of the violent incidents led to a drop in travel from the US and Canada. [Yahoo Travel · news/research]
• After the April 2025 violence, authorities increased police and military presence in Los Cabos and warned of possible public-transportation restrictions. [Travel And Tour World · news/research]
• In April 2025, security secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch announced a Navy-led operation dismantled a criminal group operating in La Paz and Los Cabos. [Mixed Times, 2025-04-27 · news/research]
• The US Embassy's April 2025 BCS alert advised travelers to avoid crowds, leave areas that change quickly, monitor local media and notify family of their safety. [Mexico Daily Post, 2025-05-03 · news/research]
• The May 2026 San Jose del Cabo shootout happened in the lower-income Las Veredas neighborhood across the highway from the airport, on the opposite side from the tourist corridor. [The Post & Email, 2026-06-03 · news/research]
• Baja California Sur had generally been considered one of Mexico's calmer resort regions before the 2025-2026 security incidents. [Yahoo Travel · news/research]
• Baja California Sur drug-trafficking investigations rose from 272 cases in the first half of 2022 to 446 in the first half of 2024, with 435 drug-related emergency calls in January 2024 alone. [The TJ Gringo · news/research]
• The US State Department reissued its Mexico advisory on May 29, 2026, with new guidance for Americans heading to the country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Parade · news/research]
• The May 2026 shootout prompted a security operation by the Baja California Sur Security Roundtable to locate and arrest those responsible. [New York Post, 2026-06-02 · news/research]

Groups reported around Los Cabos

• The Sinaloa Cartel is reported to dominate the drug trade in La Paz and Los Cabos, with drug-trafficking investigations surging 71 percent in 2024. [The TJ Gringo · news/research]
• A Los Mayos cell led by Marcos Ivan N alias Marquitos operated in the La Paz and Los Cabos area. [Cartel Insider · news/research]
• The April 2025 violence wave in Baja California Sur was linked to the turf war between rival Sinaloa cartel factions Los Chapitos and Los Mayos. [Mixed Times, 2025-04-27 · news/research]
• Baja California Sur is described as a profitable plaza for criminal groups beyond drugs, including sexual exploitation, alcohol sales and e-cigarette marketing. [Cartel Insider · news/research]
• The Sinaloa cartel's internal war that broke out after El Mayo Zambada's 2024 arrest rearranged territorial control and fed insecurity in Baja California Sur. [Cartel Insider · news/research]

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Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Territory, leadership and advisories change; tell us about errors via our corrections page.