Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 15, 2026 – Two men escaped from state police after abandoning an unmarked car containing suspected marijuana, tire spikes, a ballistic plate, and military-style clothing in the Ixtapa delegation of Puerto Vallarta.
The pursuit began Tuesday night near Calle Hidalgo and the dirt road leading toward El Guayabo, where officers from the Jalisco Regional Police were conducting surveillance patrols. Police noticed a white Volkswagen Jetta traveling without license plates and occupied by two men, the Jalisco Security Secretariat reported.
The driver accelerated after noticing the police vehicles. Officers followed until they found the Jetta abandoned a short distance away. Its occupants had already left the scene, prompting a search of the surrounding area. No arrests had been announced by Wednesday morning.
Police reported finding 985 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana, seven metal tire-puncturing devices commonly called ponchallantas, one ballistic plate, three pairs of military-style trousers and three matching shirts. The vehicle and seized property were transferred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for examination and inclusion in the investigation.
The state has not disclosed whether the Jetta was reported stolen, whether investigators identified a registered owner, or whether fingerprints or other evidence were recovered. Authorities also have not confirmed the substance as marijuana through laboratory testing or connected the vehicle to a particular criminal organization. Initial reporting by Telediario Guadalajara said the search for the two occupants remained active.
The location places the pursuit away from Puerto Vallarta’s principal hotel and tourism corridors. The road toward El Guayabo begins in the inland Ixtapa area and has traditionally formed part of an unpaved shortcut between Puerto Vallarta and San José del Valle in Bahía de Banderas. Officials did not say whether the suspects were attempting to travel toward Nayarit or indicate the direction they escaped in.
The combination of tire spikes and tactical equipment has appeared in other investigations in Puerto Vallarta this year. In March, seven people were placed under federal prosecution after a separate Navy pursuit in the Las Peñas neighborhood led to the seizure of a firearm, 171 rounds of ammunition, radio equipment, tactical gear and tire spikes. Vallarta Daily reported on the federal case after a judge ordered the defendants held while the investigation continued.
Authorities have not established any connection between that case and Tuesday’s abandoned vehicle. They also have not released descriptions of the two men, the size of the search perimeter, or a timeline for the next investigative update.
