Five Mexican Police Officers Killed in Guerrero Ambush

On June 1, 2025, five state police officers were killed in an ambush by suspected cartel gunmen in the town of Teloloapan, Guerrero, southern Mexico. The officers, part of a routine patrol, were attacked with automatic rifles and grenades while traveling on a rural highway, a hotspot for drug trafficking.

The assailants, believed to be members of the Familia Michoacana cartel, fled into the Sierra Madre mountains, leaving three officers injured and a police vehicle destroyed. Guerrero’s Governor Evelyn Salgado condemned the attack, deploying 200 federal troops to pursue the perpetrators, though no arrests were reported by June 3.

The ambush, one of 15 police attacks in Guerrero in 2025, reflects escalating cartel violence, with 1,200 homicides recorded in the state this year. Teloloapan’s strategic location on opium trafficking routes has fueled clashes between Familia Michoacana and rival Los Tlacos, displacing 500 residents since 2024. Community leaders criticized inadequate police training, noting only 30% of Guerrero’s 4,000 officers are certified.

Mexico’s government, facing 3,500 police deaths since 2020, announced a $50 million security fund, but analysts doubt its impact without addressing corruption, as 10% of Guerrero’s police are under investigation for cartel ties. The officers’ deaths have sparked protests in Acapulco, demanding justice and federal intervention.