Mexico has launched one of its most extensive crackdowns on illegal timber in years, with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (PROFEPA) leading a three‑day sweep across 28 states targeting illegal logging, unauthorised land‑use changes and the illicit movement of forest products. The operation, carried out from January 28 to 30, mobilised hundreds of officials from all levels of government and resulted in closures, seizures and new criminal cases.
“This year, we are strengthening our operations in critical forest areas. Protecting forests is a priority, and to achieve it, we are acting in coordination with authorities at all levels of government. Impunity for those who destroy forest ecosystems is over,” said PROFEPA chief Mariana Boy Tamborrell, as federal authorities described the action as the first coordinated, multi‑state forest‑enforcement push of 2026.
Wood Central understands the sweep focused on regions where illegal clearing and timber trafficking have intensified, with PROFEPA deploying 464 personnel from agencies including the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), municipal ecology offices, the Ministry of National Defence, the National Guard, the Ministry of the Navy, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and state and local police forces.
During the operation, officials installed 25 checkpoints, conducted 16 surveillance patrols and carried out 38 forestry inspections at sawmills and properties suspected of illegal land‑use change. And the efforts led to 25 closures — eight at forest‑product storage and processing centres (CATs) and 17 at properties where inspectors documented unauthorised clearing. Authorities also seized 400 cubic metres of timber, more than a tonne of charcoal, 2,800 kilograms of agave pineapples, five pieces of machinery and a dozen vehicles.
Inspections uncovered a wide range of violations.
Across Aguascalientes, authorities seized a vehicle and 1.80 m³ of oak firewood in the Sierra Fría Natural Protected Area after the driver failed to prove legal origin. Baja California Sur saw a 1,200‑m² property in Cabo Pulmo shut down for unauthorised land‑use change linked to the construction of a house and access road. In Campeche, a CAT in Escárcega was closed after inspectors determined it could not prove the legal origin of the forest products being marketed.
Chiapas authorities found seven reported sawmill addresses in Ocozocoautla, Villaflores, Chiapa de Corzo and Tuxtla Gutiérrez to be fictitious, prompting criminal complaints. A CAT in Tuxtla Gutiérrez was verified and cited for a minor irregularity. Surveillance patrols in Coahuila — covering Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe and Arteaga — identified an area with suspected illegal land‑use change, triggering a formal inspection.
In Chihuahua, inspectors visited two CATs and identified a documentary surplus of 504.068 m³ of pine timber at one site, prompting a precautionary seizure of documentation. Durango authorities closed two CATs in the La Michilía Biosphere Reserve and seized 2,800 kg of agave pineapples and 5.690 m³ of mesquite firewood. An unauthorised stone materials bank in Lerdo was also shut down, while a checkpoint in Pueblo Nuevo resulted in the seizure of 150 táscate posts totalling 2.800 m³ and the vehicle transporting them.
Transport inspections in Guanajuato and Guerrero reported no irregularities. In Hidalgo, three CATs in Acaxochitlán were closed for operating without legal authorisation, with inspectors seizing 36.945 m³ of sawn pine and 0.554 m³ of sawn fir. Jalisco authorities shut down a 39.6‑hectare property in Poncitlán and Ocotlán after detecting illegal clearing for an agave plantation.
In the State of Mexico, a 2,100‑m² property in Jiquipilco operating as an unauthorised materials bank was closed, and a stone screening machine was seized. Michoacán authorities closed an illegal sawmill in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, while transport inspections across the avocado‑producing corridor — including Zitácuaro, Uruapan and Morelia — led to the seizure of 10 vehicles, 172.279 m³ of timber and 420 kg of charcoal.
Morelos officials closed a 3,000‑m² property in the Bosque de Agua area of Tetela del Volcán for illegal land‑use change, while a checkpoint in Huitzilac reported no violations. In Nayarit, inspectors shut a property exceeding three hectares in San Blas after documenting damage to mangroves and wetlands, including land filling and road construction.
Oaxaca inspectors closed a CAT in Oaxaca de Juárez after finding it was operating as an unauthorised sawmill, seizing 3,336 pieces of lumber totalling 44.976 m³ and milling equipment. Puebla authorities identified minor irregularities at a CAT in Aquixtla that did not warrant precautionary measures. Querétaro officials reinstated closure seals at a mercury mine in Peñamiller that had previously been shut in October 2025.
In Quintana Roo, five properties in Playa del Carmen and Felipe Carrillo Puerto were closed for illegal land‑use changes affecting more than 26 hectares of medium subperennial forest. Transport checkpoints in San Luis Potosí and Sinaloa reported no violations. Sonora authorities closed two properties for unauthorised land‑use change, including 2.5 hectares in the Sierra de Álamos–Río Cuchujaqui Reserve and a 2,000‑m² site in the Román Yocupicio ejido.
Tabasco inspectors seized more than 127 m³ of tropical hardwoods — including mahogany, melina and macuilis — during inspections of CATs and forestry operations in Teapa and Macuspana. Tlaxcala authorities seized 782.4 kg of charcoal and 2.25 m³ of roundwood during a search in San Pablo del Monte and closed a 22,066‑m² property in Españita for illegal land‑use change. Veracruz officials conducted surveillance patrols in the Cofre de Perote Natural Protected Area and surrounding municipalities to document suspected illegal forestry activities.
In Yucatán, two properties were closed for illegal land‑use changes affecting more than 19 hectares, including a stone-materials bank and agricultural clearing in the Mesatunich ejido. Authorities in Zacatecas verified a forest sanitation operation and installed transport checkpoints in Pinos, reporting no violations. And in the Mexico City metropolitan area, the “Los Encinos” sawmill in Huixquilucan de Degollado was closed after individuals fled during an inspection, and PROFEPA confirmed that a criminal complaint will be filed.
Please note: PROFEPA said the operation reflects a renewed federal push to curb illegal logging and land‑use change, particularly in regions where forest loss has accelerated. The agency signalled that more coordinated enforcement actions will follow as part of its 2026 strategy.
