Mexican cartels are increasingly using car bombs and other explosives.

Recent reporting supports the claim that Mexican cartels are increasingly using explosives. The Associated Press reported on Sept. 4, 2026, that cartels across Mexico were turning more often to car bombs, drones carrying explosives and improvised explosive devices. The Los Angeles Times similarly described an escalation in cartel firepower involving car bombs, explosive drones and roadside devices.latimes.comlatimes.comWhy Mexican cartels increasingly are using car bombs and other explosivesapnews.comapnews.comWhy Mexican cartels are increasingly using car bombs and other explosives

The reported methods include attacks against security forces and rival groups, as well as buried explosives used to defend or control territory. Fortune, in a Sept. 5, 2026, report, said cartels had been using explosives more extensively for about five years, while another report identified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as an increasingly prominent user as it expanded its reach.reporterherald.comreporterherald.comWhy Mexican cartels are increasingly using car bombs and other explosivesfortune.comfortune.comMexican drug cartels are increasingly using bomb-laden drones and improvised...

The evidence is directionally consistent across the supplied sources, but it does not establish a precise national trend line, such as the number of attacks by year or the share involving car bombs specifically. Several sources reproduce or closely follow the same Associated Press report, so they should not be treated as wholly independent confirmations. Even with that limitation, the central claim is supported: available reporting indicates a broader and increasingly prominent use of explosive tactics by Mexican cartels.