Tijuana

The Federal Investigator Who Moonlit as a Drug Lord

Tijuana is dealing with unusual local crime stories involving an alleged occultist murderer and a police investigator, while Baja Beach Fest and Valle de Guadalupe's "Viñadas" festival are set to entertain visitors.

Mexicanist

08 Aug 2025 — 5 min read

Hell’s Angels: Because nothing says ‘charity ride’ like matching leather and a federal indictment.

Welcome to the "Mexicanist" newsletter, your weekly dose of the strange, the beautiful, and the downright bizarre from Baja California. We dive past the headlines and bring you the stories that make this region so enthralling for those of us who visit—or are lucky enough to call it home.

Dirty Cop's Den? Drugs, Scales Found in Chic Agent's $4 K-A-Month Pad

TIJUANA -They say justice is blind, but in Tijuana, it might just be living a double life. State investigative agent Itzel Areli, a woman tasked with putting crooks behind bars, is now at the center of a sordid scandal that could land her in the slammer. The state's top prosecutor revealed the shocking discovery of drugs and scales—the tools of the trafficking trade—inside one of the agent's two high-priced rental homes.

A surreal photo of a Mexico City Metro station flooded with murky water.

The City Built on a Lake is Now Fighting for its Life Against the Water Below

In an epic, 500-year-long battle with its own foundations, Mexico City is sinking under the weight of record-breaking rains, a drainage crisis, and a history of botched urban planning.

Empty gas pumps with a frustrated attendant shrugging—fuel crisis in Monterrey’s suburbs.

Why Monterrey’s Gas Stations Are Empty and How Locals Beat the Heat

With gridlocked traffic from a failing $7.3 billion system and a gasoline shortage plaguing drivers, the city of Monterrey finds hope in a young girl's fight against a rare disease, supported by the community's beloved soccer fans.

A soaked businessman stands waist-deep in floodwater outside Mexico City metro station.

U.S. Troops Ordered Into Mexico as President Vows 'Not On Our Watch!

A retiring legal titan warns that Mexico's new judicial reform will be a "historical error," just as the new president faces down a U.S. troop threat and the potential closure of a historic Nissan plant.

A sunlit beach in Quintana Roo with clean turquoise water, a lone traveler walking barefoot at dawn.

Mother of All Mistakes: Son Fleeing Cops Mows Down His Own Mom

Mexican authorities are tackling crime and sargassum, the Cancun airport is packed with tourists, lucha libre is rocking Isla Mujeres, and an ancient Mayan town is getting a cultural facelift.