Tecate, Baja California: CJNG–Sinaloa Turf War Escalates — 6 Executions, 11 Kidnappings in 72 Hours; Mayor Acknowledges Crisis

Violence between CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel over control of Tecate, Baja California intensified through September after the August 23, 2026 provisional release of Sergio Serrano, alias 'El Checo,' a CJNG plaza leader captured May 13. His release triggered a wave of retaliatory violence Aug 31–Sep 2: a Sinaloa Cartel convoy attacked a hacienda in Nueva Colonia Hindú searching for Serrano (Aug 31); Molotov cocktails were thrown at an officer's home and a man was executed on Manganeso and Diamante streets (Sep 1); a narco-banner naming four police officers accused of passing information to the rival faction appeared, followed by an armed attack on one named officer's home; and a second man was executed in Colonia Militar (Sep 2) — six executions and 11 kidnappings within 72 hours, on top of 125 homicides already accumulated in Tecate through 2026. State security commander Gen. Laureano Carrillo activated 'Operativo Cóndor 4' with 200+ personnel and 40 patrols in response. The violence continued into mid-September: a further killing was reported the night of September 15, prompting municipal president Román Cota Muñoz to publicly acknowledge Tecate's security crisis, attributing it to 'a territorial dispute between different organized crime factions seeking to dominate the area,' while noting the roughly 120-officer municipal police force remains well short of an estimated 300-officer need.