The discovery followed a citizen complaint about a strong cannabis smell from a mountain area between Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito.[1][2] On 4 August 2026, Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana (FESC) officers walked almost one kilometre beyond a road without vehicle access before finding the first plot hidden in vegetation.[1]
That plot measured about 20 by 60 metres and held around 18,000 plants, some reaching 1.8 metres high.[1][2] About 100 metres away, officers found a makeshift camp with a table and clothing, plus a second plantation of about 1,200 square metres with another estimated 18,000 plants.[1][2]
The combined count was about 36,000 plants.[1][2] FESC incinerated the crop on site and preserved some specimens as evidence for the federal prosecutor, the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR).[1][2] Neither report recorded an arrest; the FGR was to investigate who operated the plots or had used the camp.[1][2]
The photographs accompanying the reports show officers among the cannabis plants and the nearby camp area.[1][2]
