At least 10 more people have been killed in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, making the death toll, together with those missing, rise to over 100 since the beginning of the series of confrontations between rival cartel factions. The violence does not seem to stop while new horrific cases are unfolding.
Officials and news outlets on Sunday accounted for the latest killings, which apparently came in conjunction with the surprise arrest in the United States late last month of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, believed to have triggered an internal power struggle within the cartel.
According to reports, since September 9, some 70 people have been killed in Sinaloa, particularly around the capital city of Culiacan. Another 51, according to Reuters, are believed to have disappeared in the strife and growing violence.
On Saturday, the area of Tres Rios in Culiacan experienced a wave of shootouts and grenade attacks. The first consisted of a shootout between police and presumed hitmen, followed by an attempt by numerous people to blockade a road using vehicles near the prosecutor’s office.
In another incident, security agents were ambushed by armed attackers who later took refuge inside an apartment building. After a shootout, three suspected gunmen were killed, one arrested, and two soldiers were injured, according to Governor Ruben Rocha Moya.
On Saturday, Governor Rocha visited Mexico City to see President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. The federal government has matched the bloodshed, with 600 soldiers deployed to Sinaloa to secure the state.
Mexican media have also reported at least seven other deaths, including five men half-naked and abandoned in the street, apparently an intimidating message between rival factions. Authorities have made no comments about those deaths.
The 76-year-old Zambada was detained on July 25 after he allegedly was kidnapped in Mexico and turned over to U.S. officials. He was arrested along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in the U.S.
This new wave of violence is believed to reflect a struggle for control between the cartel factions loyal to El Chapo and his sons against those acting for Zambada. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on his way out of office at month’s end, has partly blamed the United States for the situation, with allegations that the capture of Zambada had been unilaterally planned. However, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar denied this assertion and underlined that the bloodshed in Sinaloa cannot be blamed on the U.S.
