Mexican State Under Siege Amid Sinaloa Cartel Infighting

A new wave of intense cartel fighting forced government officials to order the shutdown of school activities as locals locked themselves indoors in the state of Sinaloa. The measures follow several days of fighting as two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel clashed with minimal interference from federal police and military forces.

The Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya sent multiple alerts and a video asking the public to remain calm and take precautions. In the video, Rocha Moya claimed that government police and military forces were working to minimize the effect of the cartel battles on the local public.

The violence began this week and followed weeks of tension as a faction loyal to recently captured Sinaloa Cartel boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada seeks revenge from the Chapitos faction for the betrayal and arrest of their leader. The Chapitos faction comprises the sons of jailed Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. It is believed that Los Chapitos blamed El Mayo for their father’s capture.

As Breitbart Texas reported, Joaquin Guzman Lopez allegedly called a secret meeting with El Mayo and some top politicians in late July. It was during that meeting that Guzman and his gunmen kidnapped El Mayo and put him on a plane that landed near El Paso, Texas, where U.S. authorities were waiting for them. Since then, both Guzman and El Mayo have been in U.S. custody awaiting trial.

The capture led to weeks of tension as locals awaited for war to break out between two of Mexico’s most powerful drug families. It is believed that the family of El Mayo had been quietly building up their forces before striking.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.