Army destroys 237 hectares of marijuana in first week of Michoacán offensive
Soldiers and federal police destroyed 2,116 marijuana-growing operations covering 237 hectares in Michoacán in the first week of President Calderón's joint offensive from 11 December 2006, arresting 45 people; officers also found a fast-maturing herbicide-resistant 'Colombian' hybrid taking over the state's plots.
On 18 December 2006, Defence Minister Guillermo Galván said a military assault on marijuana farms
in Michoacán had destroyed 2,116 growing operations covering 237 hectares (586 acres) in a
week.[1]Soldiers and federal police found 1,795 marijuana fields covering 585 acres in the same
week and arrested 45 people, including suspected leaders of the feuding cartels.[2][3]
President Felipe Calderón, who had taken office on 1 December, had sent thousands of soldiers and
federal officers to his home state on 11 December to restore order and fight drug violence.[1][2]Troops backed by helicopter gunships pulled plants up by the roots and burned them; the
army said the new ‘Colombian’ hybrid matured in about two months, could be planted at any time of
year and survived herbicide unless taken out by the roots.[2][3]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Jalisco state police found a marijuana plot near the El Salvador delegation in Tequila and destroyed about 83,200 cannabis plants by uprooting and burning them. The FGR opened a health-crimes investigation and kept the case open, reporting no detentions.
On 25 October 2026 Jalisco state police, with Defence and National Guard support, found two marijuana plots and a drying shed at San Martín de las Cañas in Tequila, destroyed about 98,000 plants on 22,880 square metres, and valued the crop at 102.9 million pesos.
Mexican navy personnel found and destroyed about 56,000 suspected marijuana plants on five plots covering more than 6,000 square metres in La Yesca, Nayarit, during patrols on 23 and 24 October. The navy did not report any arrests.
On 20, 21 and 22 October 2026 the Mexican navy and the army destroyed about 122,400 marijuana plants on eight plots covering about 14,880 square metres near La Yesca, Nayarit. The statements report no arrests. A separate five-plot destruction in the same municipality on 23 and 24 October is a different event.
