US issues security alert for Mexican border city

A US consulate in Mexico issued a security alert on Tuesday for the border city of Mexicali, where authorities recently conducted a large seizure from drug-trafficking groups.

Mexicali and nearby Tijuana serve as entry points for drugs flowing from Mexico into the United States.

The alert was issued by the US government days after Mexican security forces, working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, seized 120 kilograms of fentanyl from a local gang linked to Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel.

Mexico's security ministry said, however, authorities were not aware of any "specific or imminent risk to the population."

The US consulate in Tijuana said it was suspending all its activities in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California state, over the "potential threat" and urged Americans in the area to exercise caution.

The governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar, said security in the area had been stepped up.

Baja California ranks among Mexico's top five most violent states due to the presence of drug cartels, official figures show.

Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch, in a post on X, said the recent fentanyl seizure had been carried out as a result of information sharing with the DEA.

President Claudia Sheinbaum is under pressure from her US counterpart Donald Trump to crack down harder on drug cartels.