Mexico files criminal complaints for deaths in immigration custody

Troop movements authorized by the DOF

The Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) published this Tuesday decrees that authorize the exit and entry of military personnel between Mexico and the United States. The operations are part of joint cooperation and training exercises.

Departure of Mexican troops:

A first permit allows the departure of 518 soldiers from the “Anáhuac” Battalion of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena). They will participate in “Rotational Exercise 2026” from August 17 to September 13, 2026 at the Joint Readiness Training Center “Fort Johnson” in Louisiana, United States. The delegation will carry organic weapons, vehicles and special equipment.

Entry of US forces:

The entry of 23 elements of Team 8 of the Navy SEALs of the United States Navy was authorized, from August 1 to October 16, 2026. They will participate in the “SOF Event 4 Strengthen the capacity of Special Operations Forces” in Campeche, Hidalgo, State of Mexico and Mexico City. The transfer will be by air in a C-130 “Hércules” aircraft that will arrive and depart from the Toluca International Airport.

International competition in Paraguay:

Another decree endorses the departure of eight Sedena soldiers from the “Holkan” team for the “Commando Forces Competition 2026” in Asunción, Paraguay, from August 23 to September 5, 2026. They will travel by commercial flight.

More joint training:

A fourth decree authorizes the entry of 12 members of the seventh Special Operations group of the US Northern Special Operations Command. They will participate in the SOF3 Event “Improve the Capabilities of Special Forces Units” from July 15 to December 15, 2026. The training headquarters will be Temamatla, San Miguel de los Jagüeyes and the Santa Lucía Air Base, in the State of Mexico.

All operations were published in the DOF and seek to strengthen bilateral cooperation in defense matters.

Case details

The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Baja California reported the arrest of three minors as allegedly responsible for the homicide of a Didi platform driver in Mexicali. The events occurred on July 9.

According to the official statement, a 16-year-old teenager requested the transportation service to move from the Villaverde subdivision to the Satélite neighborhood. During the journey, his 15-year-old brother and another 13-year-old teenager also boarded.

On the way, the driver was attacked with a firearm. He received a blow to the head that caused his death. The alleged perpetrators moved the body to the vicinity of the Villas del Colorado subdivision, where they set it on fire to hide the evidence.

Subsequently, they fled aboard the victim’s vehicle. Hours later, state agents located and intercepted the car near the Conjunto Urbano Universitario neighborhood.

Legal actions and evidence

The attorney general, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, reported that the young people face charges of homicide qualified with treachery and advantage, vehicle theft, and crimes related to the burial and exhumation of corpses.

The victim was a retired military man who worked as a driver to generate income. According to the prosecutor, “the motive for the crime is the theft of the vehicle,” and it is being investigated whether the weapon used is linked to other crimes.

One of the key elements is a video recorded by the minors themselves with a cell phone, which documents the events. The Prosecutor’s Office considers it compelling evidence.

The National Law of the Comprehensive Criminal Justice System for Adolescents will be applied to adolescents. The maximum sentences range from three to five years, depending on the age and participation of each person.

The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confirmed that it did not know that Mauro Alberto Núñez Ojeda, alias “El Jando”, was the pilot who transported Ismael Zambada García to the United States after being taken by one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

In an information card, the institution detailed that just in June 2025, prosecutor Ernestina Godoy Ramos and her team found evidence that the detainee’s voice and fingerprints matched those of the pilot who on June 26, 2024 transported the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and Joaquín Guzmán López from Culiacán, Sinaloa, to New Mexico.

The discovery occurred ten months after “El Jando” was handed over to US authorities along with 25 other members of organized crime, according to the same card released this Wednesday.

Detention and concealment

Núñez Ojeda was arrested in February 2025 in Jesús María, Culiacán, after an armed group traveling in an armored vehicle attacked Army and National Guard personnel. In the confrontation, one soldier died and five were injured.

When presented before the FGR, the pilot identified himself with another name. “The expert tests subsequently carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office established his true identity,” the institution noted. He was linked to proceedings for various crimes and considered a high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel, with a risk to national security.

In August 2025, “El Jando” was handed over to the United States along with 25 other highly dangerous criminals, based on the National Security Law.

Open investigations

The FGR assured that the delivery does not extinguish the investigations. “It preserves the recordings, expert reports, interviews and other data included in the investigation folders and can request new proceedings through the legal assistance mechanisms between both countries,” he indicated.

The case shows the delays in coordination between Mexican and US agencies to identify key figures of organized crime.