Escalating Violence in Culiacán: Over 400 Dead Amid Sinaloa Cartel Power Struggle”

Recent violence in Culiacán, Mexico, has escalated dramatically since the arrest of prominent Sinaloa cartel leaders in the U.S. in late July 2024. The conflict primarily involves two factions within the cartel: the “Mayos,” led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, and the “Chapitos,” associated with Joaquín Guzmán López, son of the infamous drug lord “El Chapo.” Since September, this internal strife has resulted in over 400 deaths and numerous disappearances, according to local authorities

Since then, each week has brought a grim litany of shootouts, abductions, bodies dumped in the street and vehicles and businesses set alight, sending Culiacan’s 800,000 residents scrambling for cover.

The bloodletting began on September 9 after details emerged of how the son of the cartel’s jailed founder Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman reportedly double-crossed the cartel’s other co-founder, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

Zambada was arrested on U.S. soil on July 25 after allegedly being kidnapped in Mexico and delivered to U.S. authorities against his will.

Zambada claimed he was ambushed by Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of “El Chapol”‘s sons, who he said lured him onto a plane that was headed for the United States, where “El Chapo” himself is serving a life sentence.

The ongoing violence not only affects public safety but also threatens the local economy, which is heavily reliant on agriculture and tourism. The situation underscores the challenges faced by Mexican authorities in controlling cartel violence and highlights the broader implications of drug trafficking on communities both in Mexico and across the border in the United States

.As this conflict unfolds, it remains to be seen how local and federal authorities will respond to restore order and address the underlying issues driving cartel violence