Security forces arrested seven people and freed three kidnapping victims during an operation Friday afternoon in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, a popular seaside resort city also known as Rocky Point.
Authorities also seized an arsenal that included more than 40 long guns, approximately 4,000 rounds of ammunition, two Minimi machine guns and a Browning M2 .50 caliber gun, the federal Security Cabinet announced on Monday.
En Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, trabajos de investigación de @fgjesonora, con información del Centro Nacional de Inteligencia de @SSPCMexico @Defensamx1, @SEMAR_mx y @Amicsonora.
En una operación encabezada por @Defensamx1 y @Amicsonora permitieron ubicar un inmueble relacionado con… pic.twitter.com/dtwS2fGtft— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) September 21, 2026
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said that three federal agencies and the military joined an investigation by the Sonora Attorney General’s Office (FGJES), supplying intelligence that allowed state officials to identify a property linked to the kidnappings.
As state police and soldiers approached the premises, armed civilians opened fire. The authorities returned fire, eventually outflanking the suspects and containing them.
Three Sonora Investigative Police agents were wounded in the confrontation, none seriously, and three kidnapping victims were freed. Authorities captured seven suspects, including one minor.
The suspects will face charges for attempted aggravated homicide, crimes against public servants, aggravated vehicle theft, criminal association and kidnapping.
After the shootout, the authorities obtained a search warrant and re-entered the property, confiscating the weapons. The search also turned up evidence that was sufficient to merit another warrant that led to two weekend raids on additional properties in downtown Puerto Peñasco.
The sweep of those locations resulted in the seizure of heroin, methamphetamine, loaded magazines, bullet-proof vests, tactical gear and three high-end vehicles which had been reported stolen in the United States.
“We extend special recognition to the three AMIC [the Criminal Investigation Agency] agents who were injured during the attack,” García Harfuch said in a social media post.
A FGJES press release indicated that one of its agents was shot in a lower extremity, while two female agents suffered shrapnel wounds. All three were reported to be in stable condition.
The skirmish came about after several miners reported to police that they had escaped a kidnapping attempt last week, but others hadn’t. State officials alerted federal agencies, who were able to follow the route of the captors and locate a white Chevrolet Suburban truck that had been described by the near-victims.
With reports from La Jornada, Sonora Presente and Eje Central
