Several killed in new violence in Mexico cartel bastion

Authorities said that many persons were slain on Saturday in northwest Mexico, following at least 15 deaths this week in the region due to fighting between rival Sinaloa Cartel gangs.

In an altercation between the army and “armed civilians,” three civilians lost their lives, according to a statement released on Saturday by the public security department of Sinaloa state.

Additionally, “two homicides” were recorded by the department, although it did not say whether or not they were related to the cartel infighting that has terrified the general public.

In Concordia, a town known for “violent events” involving organised crime gangs, five people lost their lives on Friday night, according to the state’s attorney general.

The state prosecutor’s office said earlier on Friday that it was looking into 20 incidents of possible forced disappearances in addition to reporting that since Monday, violence between cartel factions has resulted in 15 deaths.

“At home, my cousins are incarcerated. Estefania, 27, from Culiacan, the state capital, said, “My aunt doesn’t want them to go out because they said the criminals are recruiting people.”

Security reinforcements have been dispatched to Sinaloa, the home base of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently in jail, along with his sons.

The conflict stems from the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, on US soil on July 25. Zambada claimed to have been kidnapped in Mexico and brought into US prison against his will.

Zambada, 76, was taken into custody with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, El Chapo’s son, who is currently serving a life sentence in the US.

El Chapo and his sons’ faithful gang members are thought to be pitted against those who support Zambada, who entered a not guilty plea to a number of charges in a New York court on Friday, in the current wave of violence in the capital city of Sinaloa.

According to Sinaloa state governor Ruben Rocha Moya, “the rivalry stems from the events of July 25,” he stated on Friday.

The violence forced the closure of schools on Thursday and Friday, and the governor declared that Sunday’s Independence Day celebrations would not go place.
Due to “reports of car thefts, gunfire, security forces operations, roadblocks, burning vehicles, and closed roadways” in the Culiacan area, the US issued a security alert on Thursday.