Is Nogales Safe for Americans? Border Crossing, Advisory and Cartel News (2026)

Is Nogales border crossing 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.

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Top photo: Cerro Nogales hill overlooking Nogales, Sonora. Photo: Raczoblue y/o Luis Oscar Ruiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (license), via Wikimedia Commons.

U.S. travel advisory for Sonora

Level 3: Reconsider travel (Mexico advisory issued 2026-05-29).

Reconsider travel due to terrorism, and crime.

Read the full advisory at travel.state.gov

Criminal groups reported in Sonora

• Sinaloa Cartel: reported presence, contested (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• Beltrán Leyva Organization: reported presence (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG): reported presence (as of 2024) [The Mazatlan Post, 2024-10-01]
• MS-13: historical presence reported (as of 2008) [U.S. Department of Justice (EOIR)]

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

Recent incidents

Notable security incidents reported in or near Nogales border crossing since 2024, newest first. An incident list is not a measure of risk to visitors.

• 2026-09-25: A 79-meter cross-border smuggling tunnel was discovered beneath Nogales, exploiting the cities' shared drainage systems; authorities disclosed few details of the find. [Republican Nation, 2026-09-25]
• 2026-09-24: CBP officers at the Port of Nogales arrested two Mexican nationals in separate failed smuggling attempts over a weekend, seizing 21 pounds of cocaine at the DeConcini Crossing and 364 pounds of meth, six pounds of heroin, nearly seven pounds of fentanyl and 6,000 suspected oxycodone pills at the Mariposa Commercial Facility — the second seizure ranking as Arizona's third-largest of its kind. (2 arrested) [The Gila Herald, 2026-09-24]
• 2026-09-09: Two U.S. citizens, identified as César Pablo 'N.' and Mario 'N.,' were arrested during a search operation in the Kalitea neighborhood of Nogales, Sonora, and detained with marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine. (2 arrested) [The Arizona Republic (azcentral.com), 2026-09-14]
• 2026-09-03: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped about 700 pounds of illegal drugs from being smuggled into the country through the Nogales Port of Entry, with the seizure concealed in vehicle tires. [KVOA (NBC Tucson), 2026-09-03]
• 2026-08-26: About 9,000 fentanyl pills were seized at the Nogales port of entry. [Meganoticias Nogales (YouTube), 2026-08-26]
• 2026-07-29: Jesús Francisco 'N.' was bound over in Nogales for attempted homicide, attempted femicide, threats and for attacking a municipal officer during his detention. (1 arrested) [Diario del Yaqui, 2026-08-04]
• 2026-07-25: Following a search (cateo) in the Héroes neighborhood of Nogales, three people — Gustavo Adolfo 'N.,' Brigitt Alejandra 'N.' and Everlyn Guadalupe 'N.' — were bound over for narcomenudeo involving more than 87 grams of crystal, marijuana and cocaine. (3 arrested) [Diario del Yaqui, 2026-08-04]
• 2025-09-24: CBP officers at the Port of Nogales seized nearly a million fentanyl pills across multiple events over a 30-day period ending Sept. 24, 2025; the largest single seizure was 177,800 pills plus 30 pounds of meth from a vehicle on Sept. 19. [Border Report (KTSM/CW7), 2025-10-07]
• 2025-07-07: Homeland Security Investigations announced it had partnered with Mexican authorities to take down five members of a Nogales, Sonora-based criminal organization trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and meth; seven alleged U.S.-based collaborators had previously been indicted in federal court. (5 arrested) [Internewscast, 2026-08-26]
• 2025-06-27: In a joint AMIC-Mexican Army operation on the Luis Donaldo Colosio boulevard in the El Greco neighborhood of Nogales, Manuel Antonio 'N.' of Phoenix, Arizona, was detained after a pursuit; authorities seized an AK-47, a Glock 9mm, loaded magazines, more than 2,000 doses of cocaine and crystal, and a U.S.-plated stolen 2023 vehicle. The suspect said he belonged to a violence-generating criminal cell. (1 arrested) [Expreso (Sonora), 2025-06-30]
• 2024-08-19: CBP officers at the DeConcini Crossing seized nearly 99 pounds of fentanyl pills concealed in the front seats of a Dodge Ram; a 22-year-old woman was arrested and referred to Homeland Security Investigations. (1 arrested) [GilaValleyCentral, 2024-08-23]
• 2024-04-11: U.S. authorities announced the multi-agency 'Plaza Spike' operation aimed at capturing Sergio Valenzuela Valenzuela, 'El Gigio,' identified as the Sinaloa Cartel's jefe de plaza in Nogales. [Milenio, 2024-04-11]

Practical safety tips

• On Sept. 5, 2026, the U.S. Mission to Mexico restricted U.S. government activities in and travel to Nogales to essential movement during daylight hours only, over unspecified threat information; Sonora is designated Level 3 'Reconsider Travel.' [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico, 2026-09-05]
• On Sept. 11, 2026, the U.S. government lifted the Sept. 5 security alert and resumed regular activities in Nogales; Sonora remains a Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' area. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico, 2026-09-11]
• Sonora's State Security Board said it had no information establishing a concrete public risk in Nogales when the U.S. alert was issued, and said it was continuing preventive patrols — a response at odds with the U.S. travel restriction. [Fox News]
• The State Department's Sonora advisory bans taxis, public buses and ride-shares in Nogales and bars travel in the triangular area north of Av. Tecnológico, west of Blvd. Luis Donaldo Colosio, east of Federal Highway 15D, and in residential areas east of Calle Plutarco Elías. [U.S. Department of State (advisory text via community travel-advisories mirror)]
• The advisory restricts Hermosillo-Nogales travel to daylight hours via Federal Highway 15, noting armed carjackings and shootings have been reported along the highway even in daylight; travelers are advised to use a full tank and inform someone of their route. [U.S. Department of State (advisory text via community travel-advisories mirror)]
• The advisory also bars travel in the triangular region west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, east of Sonoyta, and north of the Altar municipality. [U.S. Department of State (advisory text via community travel-advisories mirror)]
• U.S. consulates in Sonora: Consulate General Nogales, Calle Kalamata 99, Col. Jardines de Kalitea, Nogales, Sonora 85066 — from Mexico 631 689 1030, from the U.S. 011 52 631 689 1030; Consulate General Hermosillo, Blvd. Juan Navarrete 291, Col. Raquet Club, 83204 Hermosillo, Sonora — 662 689 6206 (from Mexico) / 011 52 662 689 6206 (from the U.S.). [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• U.S. Citizen Services at the Nogales consulate: from Mexico 631-980-0522; from the U.S. 1-844-528-6611; hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, with the consular section open to the public 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• U.S. citizens in Mexico needing emergency assistance outside business hours can call +52-55-2579-2000 from Mexico, or 011-52-55-2579-2000 / 301-985-8843 from the United States. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• In Mexico, 911 is the emergency number for police, medical (ambulance) and fire services; the U.S. Embassy directs travelers to call 911 for crimes in progress, immediate danger, medical emergencies or fires. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• Mexico's Ángeles Verdes (Green Angels) provide free roadside assistance on federal highways and can be reached by dialing 078 from any phone in Mexico. [Secretaría de Turismo de México]

Crossing the border here

• In the last three years, federal authorities have discovered and shut down 26 completed cross-border smuggling tunnels in the Nogales area, many exploiting the twin cities' shared drainage systems. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]
• Mariposa Passenger Processing at the Port of Nogales operates 6:00AM-10:00PM (MT), seven days a week; phone (520) 397-2121. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• CBP's Nogales page lists the Dennis DeConcini Crossing as '12:00AM-12:00PM (MT), Seven Days a Week' (page last modified Sep 26, 2025) — taken verbatim as published, though the listing is ambiguous; the crossing has historically operated 24 hours. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• The Morley Pedestrian Crossing operates 10:00AM-2:00PM (MT), seven days a week. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• The Port of Nogales hosts a SENTRI/FAST Enrollment Center, phone (520) 375-5801; the Global Entry Enrollment Center was relocated from the DeConcini facility to Mariposa in 2017. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• Mariposa Cargo Facility hours are 8:00AM-6:00PM Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-4:00PM Saturday, closed Sunday. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]

Check CBP border wait times before you go.

Groups reported around Nogales border crossing

• The Sinaloa Cartel's El Mayo faction controlled the Nogales plaza through Sergio Valenzuela Valenzuela, 'El Gigio,' identified as the cartel's jefe de plaza in Nogales and the principal fentanyl distributor at the border; more than 40% of fentanyl entering the United States crosses via Nogales. [Milenio, 2024-04-11]
• The Nogales corridor is contested primarily by rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Los Salazar and Chapitos-aligned groups. [Nile1]

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