Mexico’s army has put seven specially fitted vehicles on the roads of Michoacán to dig up and destroy explosives that drug cartels bury in the ground. General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the Secretary of National Defence, presented the vehicles on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning news conference.
Michoacán, a western state on Mexico’s Pacific coast, grows about 73% of Mexico’s avocados, and the United States buys about 80% of Mexico’s avocado exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Washington briefly suspended avocado inspections there in June 2024 after two US agriculture inspectors were attacked.
- What: Seven vehicles fitted to find and clear buried homemade bombs now work in Michoacán.
- Where: Three machines and three armoured vehicles in the Apatzingán corridor, one in Cotija.
- Scale: The Defence Ministry reports 1,657 improvised explosive devices secured in Michoacán since November 2025.
- Power Index: Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 70.8 points (November 2026 edition).
- As of: 12 November 2026, 11:00 GMT
What the Army Showed
The Defence Ministry, known as Sedena, says the vehicles are front loaders and road graders fitted with sweeping gear and 6 mm steel plate, plus armoured demining vehicles. Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are homemade bombs that cartels bury in roads and fields to stop soldiers and rivals.
In the Apatzingán corridor, a route in western Michoacán, the army lists three modified machines and three armoured demining vehicles on routes through El Alcalde, Acatlán and Naranjo. A seventh demining vehicle works the corridor around the town of Cotija,.
The Numbers the Ministry Gave
Trevilla said soldiers have covered 3,019 km on 14 routes since 8 June and cleared 36.3 km of the Cotija corridor since 9 October. He gave the total of IEDs secured in Michoacán as 1,657.
In early July the general had said the army found 625 such devices between November 2025 and June 2026. The new total, which runs to November, is far higher.
Why It Matters Beyond Mexico
Cartel bombs in farm country threaten the movement of crops, workers and troops in a state that ships fruit north across the border. The Sheinbaum government calls its security programme for the state the Plan for Peace and Justice in Michoacán.
More Mexico coverage sits in our Mexico news hub.
What Is Not Known
The ministry gave no casualty figures for soldiers or civilians hurt by buried devices. We have not seen the official transcript of the briefing, and Mexican press accounts differ on some distances, so all figures are the ministry’s own claims.
What It Means for You
Travellers should check current US government travel advice before visiting Michoacán. Buyers of Mexican avocados should watch for any disruption to harvest and trucking in the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the vehicles in Michoacán for?
They are fitted to find, dig up and destroy improvised explosive devices that cartels bury in roads and fields. The army says seven are now in service.
How many explosives has the army removed in Michoacán?
The Defence Ministry reports 1,657 devices secured since the security plan began in November 2025.
Where are the vehicles working?
Six work the Apatzingán corridor and one works the Cotija corridor, according to the ministry’s briefing on 10 November 2026.
Is it safe to travel to Michoacán?
Cartel violence and buried explosives affect parts of the state. Check current US government travel advice before any trip.
Sources: Mexico’s Defence Ministry (Sedena), briefing by General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo at the president’s morning news conference, 10 November 2026; Sedena statement of 3 July 2026 on explosives found in Michoacán; US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.
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