La Tinaja Airport

Military destruction to prevent use by cartels. La Tinaja Airport was not a government-sanctioned facility but a 'pista clandestina' (clandestine airstrip). Its strategic location in a remote border region made it a key logistical asset for transnational criminal organizations, particularly for smuggling narcotics into the United States. The Mexican Army (SEDENA) rendered the airstrip unusable by digging large trenches and creating craters along the length of the runway, a common tactic to disable such illegal airfields.

The site is abandoned and completely inoperable as an airfield. Current satellite imagery clearly shows the dirt runway remains heavily damaged by the craters and trenches created during its closure. The area is overgrown with desert scrub, and there are no buildings, infrastructure, or signs of any activity. The site has reverted to undeveloped desert terrain.

The airport's significance is entirely tied to its role in illegal drug trafficking. It was never a public, commercial, or legitimate general aviation airport. It served as a crucial link in the air-bridge for cartels, likely the Sinaloa Cartel which has historically controlled this corridor. Operations would have involved small to medium-sized aircraft (such as Cessnas or Pipers) capable of landing on short, unpaved surfaces. These flights would transport narcotics, weapons, money, and personnel across the border region, bypassing ground-level security checkpoints.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening this airstrip. Given that it was an illegal facility shut down as part of a national security operation, there is no possibility of it being restored for any legitimate purpose. The security situation in the Sáric municipality and the lack of any economic or social need for a formal airport in this specific remote location make its reconstruction unfeasible and undesirable for authorities.