Mexican authorities have arrested a 29-year-old man in the northern border state of Sonora for transporting more than a quarter million fentanyl pills hidden in a shipment of nopales In addition to 30 black packages containing approximately 275,000 fentanyl pills, authorities said they found two white packages of fentanyl powder The combined weight of the pills and powder was 32 kilograms En Sonora fuerzas federales detuvieron a un hombre que transportaba 32 kilos de fentanilo ocultos en un cargamento de nopales en un tráiler Más en https://t.co/BjdELZkX5p pic.twitter.com/v3nDlUlGXZ — Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) March 5, 2025 According to the Security and Citizen Protection Ministry (SSPC) the street value of the drugs is 131.3 million pesos (US $6.44 million) The suspect was arrested at a vehicle inspection post in the municipality of Huatabampo on the federal highway heading north between Los Mochis Sonora — approximately 600 kilometers south of Nogales The suspect’s white tractor-trailer was transporting boxes of nopales inside which the pills and powder were hidden The Spanish word nopales is also used in English especially in culinary and agricultural contexts to refer to the edible pads of a prickly pear cactus The seizure came amid heightened tensions between Mexico and the United States over fentanyl trafficking a major business for the cartels based in Sinaloa and Jalisco A press release noted that the arrest occurred “within the framework of the National Security Strategy and as a result of coordinated work” among the following agencies: the SSPC the federal prosecutor’s Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) the Navy Ministry (Semar) and the National Guard (GN) The arrest coincided with the recent implementation of 25% tariffs on Mexican exports by U.S aimed at pressuring Mexico to combat drug trafficking “With these actions, the institutions of the Security Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to work in a coordinated manner to build peace and prevent drugs from reaching young people,” the SSPC stated in a press release. Earlier this week, Mexican authorities reported that since launching Operación Frontera Norte (Operation Northern Border) on Feb approximately 18,690 kilograms (18.7 tonnes) of illegal drugs — including nearly 56 kilograms of fentanyl — had been seized and more than 1,000 suspected drug traffickers arrested Also within the past two weeks, the Mexican Navy reported seizing some 2 tonnes of suspected cocaine from a boat off the Pacific coast of Chiapas and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum approved the transfer of 29 top drug lords to face trial in the United States. With reports from El Universal, Associated Press and López-Dóriga Digital ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Preparing for an influx of tourists during Semana Santa — or Holy Week — a coastal Sonoran town removed the spines from hundreds of stingrays on its beaches The ecology department in the coastal town of Huatabampo spurred outrage this week for what many are calling animal mutilation Wildlife veterinarian Elsa Coria Galindo, director of the wildlife rescue CRRIFS says removing stingrays’ spines could put the species at risk leaving it defenseless from predators as well as beachgoers who can harm the animals by stepping on them She says there is no evidence removing the spines is safe for the stingrays and some studies show it is ineffective at preventing stings because the animals move from beach to beach because people can easily avoid stings just by shuffling their feet as they enter the water Huatabampo Mayor Juan Jesús Flores Mendoza has said he did not approve of the spine removals and has suspended the person responsible Gardena welcomes Huatabampo youth delegates Mexico visited Gardena from July 7-15 to interact with and explore the community of Gardena as well as explore some of Southern California’s most prominent attraction sites under the Gardena Sister City Program navigated through the culturally thick domain of Southern California while simultaneously building relations with one another a student whose family hosted another student from Huatabampo shared her experience of exploring a city she knows with a student from another country and having that scenario swapped as she would stay in the home of another family in another country “It’s really nice because you get to show them around where you come from and then when you switch to where they are they get to show you where they come from and it’s a really nice switch between cultures,” Davis said it’s just a real whole new insight (and) a whole new experience into yourself and into their world.” Although there seems to be an emphasis on this learning experience being only for the students the learning and exchange of cultural ideas is reciprocated by both the students and the host-families the ex-president of the Gardena Sister City Program emphasized the point of the learning experience being a two-way street as he stated “It’s not just about the youth – it’s about the people whose family houses Gardena Sister City youth is currently in Gardena and visited the U.S because we’re from a (small) town and to come here in America I really appreciate everything the Sister City Program is about It’s a really cool program and I hope to be a part of it one day when I get older.” The program began following the aftermath of WWII Eisenhower spoke at a White House Conference to discuss the necessity of all individuals creating a better effort to understand people from other parts of the world His goal was to promote peace and harmony in which its purpose is still alive and vital today would be able to visit other participating countries while students from other countries would be able to visit cities in the U.S staying with families that volunteered to host them The goal of this exchange program was to encourage Americans at the local level to broaden their cultural perspectives and to leverage a platform of citizen diplomacy through a means of interpersonal relationship would bridge cultures by having families host students from other parts of the world into their own homes and vice versa The Gardena Sister City Program is currently in demand for families that are willing to become members and volunteer in the program to provide housing and opportunities for students from the sister cities that would like to visit in Gardena Gardena is currently partnered with two sister cities: Huatabampo Those interested in volunteering to host their homes for students abroad and have their kids be involved in the program can contact the email, gsca1962@gmail.com There is also more available information on the website One of the very best lightweights of his era always exhibited the quality and bravery of the Mexican boxer One the best 135-pounders that Mexican boxing has produced both because of his boxing quality and the excellence of the rivals he faced his start in boxing was due to the humble environment in which he grew up The sport was the best option to leave poverty José Luis trained from a very young age in Huatabampo with the dream of helping his mother and siblings he arrived in Culiacán at the age of 15 to train with “Zurdo” Ramón Félix he dedicated himself to training at the Morelos gym along with Rodolfo and Rafael “Borrego” Chávez His professional debut took place in Huatabampo on March 25 1973 at featherweight against Mario Amparán defeating him by technical knockout in six rounds His first 33 fights were in Tijuana and Ciudad Obregón being defeated by points over 10 rounds for the first time in his 23rd fight against Sergio Enríquez on points on a card held in Los Mochis in 1977; his second defeat would come at 130 pounds in 1978 at the hands of the legendary Rubén “Púas” Olivares who was the only one to defeat him by knockout Olivares was looking to reposition himself in the ranking to achieve a new starting opportunity in the featherweight category Ramírez won the Mexican National title by defeating Betillo Gutiérrez in 9 rounds the title he held until his first world championship opportunity José Luis faced Nicaraguan Alexis Arguello in Miami former featherweight and super featherweight world champion who had already ventured into lightweight realms and was preparing for his title match against British Jim Watt knocking down the Nicaraguan in round 6 and putting up a great fight; the judges scored 94-95 94-97 in favor of Arguello and 98-95 in favor of Ramírez Already 71 wins on his record and still only 22 years old 1981 the hard hitting Italian-American Ray Mancini who was defending his NABF lightweight title His first important opportunity was against the undefeated Puerto Rican knockout Edwin “Chapo” Rosario on May 1st 1983 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan The rematch was agreed for the following year at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico Chapo made himself felt in the first round with his powerful punch knocking down the Mexican and then Ramírez made a spectacular comeback inflicting intense punishment to the body He managed to end it by TKO in the fourth round winning the World Boxing Council lightweight title also taking Rosario’s undefeated record Ramírez’s first defense of his lightweight title was against undefeated Puerto Rican Héctor Camacho: the fight took place in Las Vegas Camacho was not characterized as a puncher his movements and fast hands made him an elusive and dangerous boxer Ramírez fell at 1:51 of the third round and Camacho took the victory Ramírez regained it by unanimous decision against former Olympic medalist Terrence Ali later making his first defense against African Cornelius Boza Edwards At 29 years old and with more than 100 fights in his 15-year career Zurdo made his second defense against undefeated former Olympic medalist Pernell Whitaker in France on March 13 he faced an eventful fight against his compadre Julio César Chávez ended by technical decision in the eleventh round due to a clash of heads in which Ramírez was cut The rematch against Whitaker took place in August 1989 when the IBF lightweight title that the American had and the vacant WBC title were at stake The following year he returned to France to face Argentine Juan Martin Coggi for the WBA super lightweight world title he suffered the loss of his trainer Ramón Félix which was one of the reasons that led him to opt for retirement During 17 years as a professional he accumulated a record of 102 wins Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy Lee en español SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO — On a Saturday morning about 20 people gathered at the parking lot of a sports complex in Sonora while a couple joined the group shyly for the first time They were there to scout the outskirts of the border town The undertaking marked the end of a week-long search for missing family members in Sonora It underlined Mexico's national crisis of enforced disappearances Search collectives in Mexico have grown into large networks determined to find their disappeared in spite of government unresponsiveness Many groups form after a couple of highly visible individuals start searching on their own This was the origin of Todos Somos Érick Carrillo (We All Are Érick Carrillo) which launched in Baja California and now is searching throughout Mexico and Madres Buscadoras de Sonora (Searching Mothers of Sonora) operating in the Mexican state neighboring Arizona grew out of the desire to find their missing relatives — and They organized the Third State Search Brigade — starting in Huatabampo bordering Arizona — in response to many requests from families in the sate members of other collectives and activists coming from across Mexico a search and rescue nonprofit aiding migrants in the U.S By the end of the week, on Nov. 26, the brigade found about 25 clandestine graves and about 50 body remains in eight Sonoran cities The exact number will be known after forensic teams conclude their work no one was going out searching,” said Erick Carrillo president of the collective Todos Somos Érick Carrillo The group is named after his son and now has a network of about 400 volunteers in the state of Baja California Carrillo went out to the streets every day to search his son after he went missing on May 31 about 20 relatives joined him; two weeks after Today they use their network to amplify the search for disappeared relatives receive calls and tips to conduct on-the-ground searches and are contacted frequently by Baja California attorney general’s office to share information we the victims are the ones sustaining all of this,” said Cecilia Patricia Flores Armenta Gang members returned the youngest alive to her on May 2019 “as a present for Mother’s Day,” she clarified More than 100 women have joined since she formed the collective to conduct group searches Many were looking on their own at first; out in the desert They found each other through Facebook and haven’t stopped searching since They run on donations from “empathic citizens” and the sporadic escort from law enforcement officers For everything except for us who search,” Flores said about the lack of government support the collective has found about 300 bodies and helped rescue 139 people alive They are doing what others are paid to do but don’t “They don’t have an aching heart or an empty seat at their dinner table every day.” The forced disappearance of persons is not a new phenomenon in Mexico but it intensified with the growth of criminal organizations and as former President Felipe Calderon’s “War on cartels” unfolded from 2006 to 2012 President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says there is currently no "war," stressing that his strategy seeks to pacify the country. Thirty-five of them grouped in the Movement for Our Disappeared in 2015 Some estimates today suggest about 70 collectives are working in Mexico Women far outnumber men in the collectives estimates a report from the Mexican Institute for Human Rights and Democracy Almost all search groups receive little or no government support Some have decided to form nonprofits or start a foundation they call government forensic teams to start the identification process This process can take from three months to a full year 25 of the 32 Mexican states identified fewer than 30% of the bodies in the Medical Forensic Service Flores fears that the bodies they dig up might end in a common grave again without being identified — in effect being doubly disappeared Mexico has made several legislative and institutional changes Among them are the General Law on Disappearances the National Registry of the Disappeared, national and state search commissions and Mexico's Extraordinary Forensic Identification Mechanism. The latter an independent multidisciplinary entity created to deal with the forensic emergency Mexico’s National Search Commission reports that from December 2018 to June 2021 state searches uncovered 879 clandestine graves and 3,025 bodies The State Search Commission of Sonora didn't respond to the Republic's request for comment The Mexican government had reported 95,255 disappeared through Dec. 1 the country accepted the inspection of the U.N which concluded its first official visit Nov The federal government had opposed all previous visit requests The committee visited 13 Mexican states and met with authorities victims and civil society groups. they acknowledged the legislative and institutional steps that Mexico has taken to address disappearances but underscored they are still widespread and "impunity almost absolute." The committee also highlighted and applauded the "fundamental role of women in their fight against disappearances" which has been key to achieve the legislative and institutional changes Calling for the humane treatment of victims the committee also stated "the forensic advances are obscured by a serious crisis reflected crudely in the more than 52,000 unidentified deceased persons." The remains of these 52,000 are separate from the 95,000 currently missing. “It is also necessary to break the re victimization cycle: they disappear people but they also disappear located bodies and even files," the U.N The shout of desperation of victims is heartrending and needs immediate intervention.” the group wandered around the sports complex parking lot for nearly two hours they had been met by members of law enforcement from local observers from the national and state human rights commissions and criminal investigation agents neither municipal police nor the Mexican national guard was showing up At one point she got a call from someone who said had her son and wanted to give him to her "Where can you give him to me and where should I go?" she asked giving a bold smile to María Martínez "When can you get there?" the man on the line asked "In five minutes," Flores said without hesitance Now they will call again asking how much I will give them Almost everyone in the brigade was looking for a missing loved one: a brother all of them lost to organized crime violence some involved with it in one way or another with people coming from the states of Sonora All the missing are someone’s disappeared The group begins its work after municipal police arrive The nine-vehicle convoy drove out of town at the edge of “Las Antenas,” a place locally known for crime and shootouts The convoy heads straight to antenna tower T.99 Two women from Sinaloa received a tip a month ago about the possible burial site of their brother Civil search groups have a particular advantage: People will talk with them The municipal police officer joining the brigade said those who have information about a crime do not share it with officers They don’t want to get tangled up in an investigation Some women break off in a different direction carrying a “T”-shaped metal rod and shovels looking at the ground for signs of sinking The brigade left the antenna without findings and moved off to other locations they found an empty half-dug grave and further out a pile of tires and bits of calcinated bone remains — of no use for forensic teams nor families a group detected a whiff of decomposing flesh and saved the site coordinates on a GPS Flores said the team would return to some of the same search spots in two or three months They will keep digging around the places where they had positive findings hoping they can bring more victims back for proper burial “We have mixed feelings at the moment of a finding You are satisfied that a family will finally have some rest but at the same time the distress to thinking it can be your own,” Flores said Those searching often face conflicting feelings of wanting to find their relatives when they dig in the desert while also holding on to the hope they will never find them underground Maria Martínez's oldest son was forcibly disappeared on 2017 She lived in Magdalena and he lived in Caborca She would often see him training to dance the waltz with his daughter who was just about to turn 15 and preparing for her quinceañera Martínez went out to look for him several times the family received a call notifying them he had been killed Martínez describes her shock as being “brain-blocked.” Still walking alone in the hillsides and near the border she would still look for her son in every passing car The first day she went out with them on a search “I didn’t want to search for him this way,” Martínez said but so I could bring him back to his grandchildren.” Have news tips or story ideas about the Arizona-Sonora borderlands Reach the reporter at cmigoya@arizonarepublic.com or send a direct message in Twitter to @ClaraMigoya (ANS – Tijuana) – A report on volunteer work at a global level reveals that “this has become a worldwide phenomenon” But there is a typically Salesian element: “the majority of volunteers are young people” who spend their personal time “in solidarity and social activities of altruistic nature organised by public or private agencies” During this summer 2016 some volunteers of the Spanish NGO “Jóvenes y Desarrollo” (Youth and Development) lived a unique experience in Mexico The volunteers were completely inserted in the life of the communities and in the activities of the Salesian oratories spread in various places The Salesian Community animates six oratories and the “Padre Chava” Canteen of Tijuana 3 oratories in Ciudad Juárez and other manifold activities with the youth at risk without counting the oratory coordinated by the Salesian Cooperators in Huatabampo By visiting and sharing the life and mission in the houses volunteers discover the reality of lively and creative Salesian communities with many activities in which they now collaborate children and adolescents are welcomed by the hundreds and the young educators that animate them come from different centres of the “Christ the King and Mary Help of Christians” Province (MEG) missionary and social experiences of great Salesian value The work of social promotion of the Salesians is amazing the “Padre Chava” Canteen everyday caters for over one thousand migrants one of migration and of social justice that challenges the capability of coping with everyday difficulties This missionary experience “has been for me like an immersion in Salesian spirituality like an insertion in a border reality; and it fills me with joy to see that Salesians in Mexico bring credit to what characterizes them: a generous cordial and fraternal reception and a great human sensitivity mindful of details and strongly merciful” “It is important to highlight the value of young volunteers who with great generosity and apostolic motivation face heat hardships and sacrifices with great joy and total devotion This is undoubtedly a vocational testimony of great impact” ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements A 22-year-old man was killed by a shark last Friday while diving for scallops off the coast of Sonora The attack occurred in the Gulf of California near Playa Tojahui identified as Víctor Alejandro Soto García was attacked by a great white shark and sustained a severe wound to his left leg “The body of the young man was taken by his fishermen colleagues to the pier in Yavaros,” the Sonora Civil Protection agency CEPC said Yavaros is a fishing town about 20 kilometers southeast of the city of Huatabampo The CEPC said that the victim was a free-diving fisherman and wasn’t wearing a shark-repellant bracelet State authorities last year distributed around 100 such bracelets to fisherman According to a report by the El Financiero newspaper five fishermen were killed by sharks while diving for scallops off the coast of Sonora in 2022 and 2023 The latest attack came just four weeks after a 26-year-old woman was killed by a shark while swimming at a beach in southern Jalisco A 76-year-old Belgian man died last month after he was attacked by either a shark or a crocodile at a beach in Ixtapa, Guerrero. Local officials issued a crocodile warning last week after videos of one wading in the surf and swimming near another beach in Ixtapa went viral With reports from El Financiero and AP A powerful earthquake that struck in the Gulf of California shook buildings and sent people running outdoors across parts of northern Mexico on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties The US Geological Survey said the quake measured at 6.3 magnitude The epicenter was 77km north-northeast of the town of Loreto in the state of Baja California Sur "It felt really awful," said Rosita Ibarra a hotel worker in the city of Huatabampo in the state of Sonora "I'm still in shock because I was alone at the reception and suddenly I couldn't believe it Mexican federal emergency services said there were no immediate reports of damage and ruled out a tsunami risk Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto confirmed on Twitter there were no initial reports of casualties who works at a hotel in the city of Los Mochis said he felt light tremors and saw lamps sway "We checked the rooms and saw that they were all in order please register for free or log in to your account.