Mexico City, Mexico Authorities in Sinaloa, Mexico reported that an ongoing wave of violence between criminal groups has resulted in 12 deaths, 20 possible kidnappings and eleven people injured in three days. Some officials have said the violence is related to the July 25 arrest in the United States of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
According to the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office, since September 9, 12 people have been killed in connection with clashes between criminal groups in the state.
The state is a stronghold for one of Mexico’s most powerful and notorious cartels, which was also co-founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, whose son, Joaquin Guzmán López, was arrested along with Zambada at an airport in El Paso, Texas.
Sinaloa has recently been under siege by armed groups, with citizens reporting shootings, kidnappings, carjackings and roadblocks since Monday. The police have also reported 20 reports of disappearances made by relatives.
As a result of the violence, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya has announced the closure of schools in four state municipalities, including the capital Culiacán. He also canceled celebrations for the 209th anniversary of Mexican Independence on September 15.
During a press conference on Thursday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would deploy the military to bolster state security.
“It is the Army in coordination with the Navy, the National Guard and the State Police; they are pending. I want to tell the people of Culiacán, of Sinaloa, that we have enough presence to guarantee peace and tranquility,” he said.
The president also said that the violence is the result of the recent arrest of El Mayo Zambada, who is believed to have been betrayed by Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, and handed over to US authorities in El Paso.
“There is internal fighting between the two groups and we have to make sure that the population is not affected and that they do not clash with each other. As I mentioned, this is an issue related to the confrontation between groups,” he explained.
This is not the first time the Sinaloa cartel has taken to the streets of their state in a display of extreme violence. In two separate recent cases, the criminal group has unleashed a wave of violence for the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, El Chapo’s youngest son and one of the cartel’s underbosses.
On October 17, 2019, the first arrest of Ovidio Guzmán triggered a violent response from his Cartel, which resulted in the killing of nine military officers and his release on the orders of López Obrador.
In January 2023, after Ovidio’s second arrest, shootings, roadblocks and burning of vehicles were reported; this time, however, the young king was immediately extradited to the US
Regarding the current violence plaguing Sinaloa, it is believed to be an internal struggle between the “Los Chapitos” bloc within the Cartel, made up of Chapo’s sons, and Zambada’s men, to consolidate their power.
Zambada, the longtime leader of the cartel, will make his first court appearance in New York on Friday where he will stand trial on 17 charges against him, including murder, weapons possession, money laundering, drug production and trafficking.
