Drug cartels in Mexico are increasingly employing car bombs, explosive-laden drones, and improvised explosive devices, a tactical shift that is exacerbating tensions between Mexico and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened military intervention against these groups. The trend was highlighted by a recent explosion outside a police station in Ojocaliente, Zacatecas, which injured 11 people and damaged more than 60 homes.
The incident in Ojocaliente involved 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of explosives, according to Mexican security chief Omar García Harfuch. While the scale of violence remains below historical levels seen in countries like Colombia, the escalation in the use of high-impact explosives has drawn scrutiny from both Mexican officials and U.S. policymakers.
What the Left Is Saying
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the nationwide decline in killings serves as clear evidence that her government’s strategy against cartels is working, despite the rise in explosive attacks. Officials and experts within Mexico, including Carlos Pérez Ricart, an international studies professor at CIDE university, argue that labeling cartel violence as terrorism is counterproductive.
Pérez Ricart cautioned against applying counterterrorism strategies to organized crime, noting that the adversary is an illegal market rather than a purely armed group. Mexico has historically resisted the terrorism designation to avoid inviting foreign intervention, which could harm tourism and investment, and because cartels are primarily motivated by profit rather than political or ideological aims.
What the Right Is Saying
The Trump administration has designated eight Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, using this classification to justify the potential for military action. U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have urged Latin American allies to adopt more aggressive measures against drug cartels.
Conservative voices in the U.S. view the increasing use of car bombs and explosives as evidence of the cartels' evolving threat level and their capacity to inflict terror on civilian populations. The administration argues that the current Mexican security strategy is insufficient to curb the violence, pointing to the CJNG’s expansion and its designation as a terrorist group by the U.S. government.
What the Numbers Show
In Zacatecas alone, state Attorney General Cristian Paul Camacho reported 23 attacks involving explosives so far this year, including six involving cars or motorcycles packed with explosives. In 2023, roadway bombs in Jalisco killed six people and injured 14, while the military seized approximately 2,800 explosive devices nationwide over the previous four and a half years.
In 2024, authorities deactivated nearly 3,200 explosive devices in Michoacán state alone. A 2025 incident in Michoacán saw an explosive device kill eight soldiers, marking one of the deadliest such events in Mexico. Vanda Felbab-Brown, an organized crime expert at the Brookings Institution, noted a 'steady intensification of violence' and a growing atmosphere of fear and retaliation.
The Bottom Line
The surge in explosive attacks by cartels like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel creates a complex diplomatic challenge for Washington and Mexico City. While the U.S. administration leverages these incidents to support its designation of cartels as terrorist organizations and its threats of military action, Mexican officials maintain that their security strategy is yielding results in overall homicide rates.
Experts warn that the use of explosives is intended to intimidate rivals, pressure authorities into negotiations, and spread fear among civilians. As the legal and political battles over the 'terrorist' designation continue in the U.S. and abroad, the frequency of these high-impact attacks will likely remain a central point of contention in bilateral relations.