HERMOSILLO, Mexico—The moment a pistol was pressed against the side of cattle rancher Aaron Cameron’s head two years ago, he knew that the business he and his family had worked so hard for was about to be taken away.

Dozens of cartel gunmen drove onto his property in armored vehicles, some mounted with .50-caliber machine guns. They took over the site for more than a year, until state police officers were able to clear them out. Other residents in the area were also targeted.

“Having guns pointed at my head just became normal out here after the cartels began to steal our properties and businesses,” Cameron told The Epoch Times in Spanish through a translator.

“It was not just cattle ranches but also mining and deer hunting tourism [that] came to a stop in this area. We were just trying to make a living.”

The Mexican state of Sonora became a hotbed for gun battles in the country’s violent drug war in recent years because of the state’s location on the southern U.S. border, according to Sonora state police officials.

For many ranchers like Cameron, the violence worsened over time as cartels began breaking off into factions to battle not only police, but also each other.

Just a 30-minute drive from Cameron’s ranch, along unpaved dirt roads, an abandoned home sat plastered with hundreds of bullet holes. Nearby sat burned-out vehicles left by warring cartels.

A Sonora state police officer pointed at a small pile of bullet casings scattered along the ground, including 7.62 mm rounds fired from AK-47 automatic rifles—the signature firearm of Sonoran cartels, according to the officers.

“About two years ago, this area was under the control of the cartels,” Enríquez García told The Epoch Times. “When we [state police] took it back from them, the operation was not even that hard for us.”

Enríquez García, who formerly worked with the intelligence division of Mexico’s Federal Police, accepted the position of secretary of public security in February 2024.

He noted that his agency and his officers have placed intelligence gathering at the forefront of their operations against the cartels. This includes monitoring and tracking enemy movements before striking. His reputation for success has earned him the nicknames of “Super Policia” and “El Cobra” from both U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.

Since accepting the role, Enríquez García and his men have not only liberated dozens of Sonoran towns and ranches from the cartels, but have also apprehended key figures involved in Mexican crime syndicates, according to state police officials.

“In using the intelligence approach to our operations here in Sonora, we are able to effectively build our cases before we move in to take back areas like the ranches,” he said.

“It allows us to make direct strikes against them and also creates safety for my teams on the ground.”

“This ranch was truly a paradise until the cartels began to fight over it,” a state police official told The Epoch Times in Spanish.

“There was an all-out battle between rival cartels [a short time] ago.”

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Among the charred shells of several pickup trucks were improvised welded armored plates, which once provided cartel drivers protection against enemy gunfire.

A tripod mount was still attached to one vehicle that once held in place a large machine gun capable of piercing armor and aircraft, according to state police officials.

“You can find .50-caliber bullet casings all over this ranch,” Enríquez García told The Epoch Times. “Though we liberated this area, they left this destruction for the family that has finally been able to return home.”

Just east of the destroyed vehicles, the housing area of Paradise Ranch was littered with bullet holes made by a variety of guns, ranging from small arms fire to heavy weaponry.

In one dark bedroom, rays of sunlight pierced through various bullet holes in the walls. Next to a dirty mattress on the floor sat a propane stove with cookware still attached that had been used by members of a cartel.

“This was a ranch that once hosted deer hunting tourism, but when the cartels pushed into the area, this ranch and others like this business all came to a close,” Enríquez García said. “These criminals have had a major effect on the economy—not only in Sonora, but all of Mexico.”

Back in the Sonora state capital of Hermosillo, signs of Mexico’s internal conflict were almost nonexistent until one man wearing a black balaclava approached the patio area of a restaurant, asked the customers questions, then hurriedly walked away. Within two minutes, a state police vehicle arrived to monitor the area and prevent any more suspected cartel activity.

“One of the slogans of the last federal administration was ‘hugs not bullets’ in regard to how the Mexican government was handling the cartels,” a former Mexican federal prosecutor, using the alias of “Pancho” for his safety, told The Epoch Times in Spanish.

He said it was during this time that cartel activity throughout Mexico “exploded,” including in Sonora, where the economy depends on mining, farming, and fishing.

One small mine in Sonora that experienced a cartel takeover lost more than $1 million per month to a crime syndicate, officials said.

Although the cartels have since been cleared out, the mines continue to be targets because of low-risk profit yields and easy extortion opportunities, according to Mexican intelligence officials.

Since 2024, Sonora state police have been able to liberate 42 ranches and two mining facilities from the cartels, and they plan to continue.

“I think progress is being made here in Sonora because security has been placed front and center,” Pancho said.

“CBP One increased cartel members crossing into the [United States], along with increasing their flows of both human and drug trafficking,” a senior Mexican intelligence official, who used the nickname “Omega” for safety reasons, told The Epoch Times in an interview conducted in both English and Spanish.

“Sonora has always been of interest to the cartels due to its proximity with the U.S. border, but CBP One actually intensified crime activity here due to the draw of criminal flow into U.S. border ports of entry.”

Omega, who was given his nickname after assisting in the capture of one of Mexico’s most notorious crime leaders, said that during this time it became common for law enforcement in Sonora to find bodies left behind by cartels.

“CBP One allowed cartels to capitalize on crimes that include fentanyl and child trafficking,” he said.

A DEA spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email that the majority of illicit fentanyl is transported through the U.S.–Mexico border along Sonora.

Since the cancellation of appointments through the CBP One app on Jan. 20, 2025, crimes involving cartel activities have decreased in Sonora, according to Omega, who works with both the secretary of public security and U.S. federal agencies.

“Having a secure border will only happen if the border is secure on both sides,” he said. “Progress is being made in Sonora, but it can be achieved even faster through the right tools and partnerships.”

Omega said air support with helicopters has been a key part of combating the cartels—not only for intelligence-gathering operations, but also for better emergency response times and safety overwatch for on-the-ground personnel conducting raids.

“We are doing good with what we have, but there will of course be a better outcome against the cartels if we increase air-support operations,” he said.

Pulling out his phone, Omega displayed footage of cartel convoys driving through cities in vehicles that included luxury SUVs with machine gun turrets attached to the roofs. Most vehicles that cartel members use and modify for war in Sonora are stolen from the United States, according to Mexican security officials.

In other footage, Omega displayed cartel members dressed like Mexican police and military forces, some with sirens mounted on their vehicles.

Garcia, like many cattle ranchers, was finally able to access his property about a year ago after state police forces liberated the area from the cartels.

“It was not long ago when I saw a hundred men with guns driving over those hills towards my ranch,” Garcia said in Spanish. “I’ve been in this area for 40 years [and] am just grateful to be back here.”

As Sonora state police started patrolling near his ranch area, Garcia walked over to one unit and shook hands with several of the officers.

“They helped us get [the ranch] back in business, and now I will teach my family the business of cattle ranching,” he said.

Sheinbaum, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas did not respond to requests for comments.