The raging cartel violence that has terrorized the state of Sinaloa for months led to the closing of IHOP restaurants in that region. The restaurant is one of numerous businesses that closed in that Mexican state, which continues to see brutal cartel fighting, targeted killings, abductions, and terror-style attacks. Public officials continue to claim public safety is improving.
This week, IHOP Sinaloa announced in a prepared statement that it was closing its locations in Culiacan, Sinaloa, due to the violence in the area. The continuing violence made it too unsafe for the restaurant’s employees and customers. The statement claimed the chain could reopen its doors when security improved in the region.
The public closing of the chained restaurant delivered a public blow to the credibility of Mexico’s government, which has been trying to portray an image of peace and successful arrests and seizures. At the same time, the state of Sinaloa continues to experience the effects of a fierce turf war between two rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
As Breitbart Texas reported, the fighting is tied to the highly publicized July 2024 arrest of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. In that incident, members of Los Chapitos faction and top politicians lured Zambada to a meeting only to capture him. They put him on a plane that flew into the United States to the waiting hands of federal agents. That perceived betrayal set off an internal war within the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel loyal to Zambada and the Chapitos faction led by the sons of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The ensuing war led to thousands of murders and forced disappearances, which have shown Mexico’s federal and military forces to be highly inefficient in restoring peace.
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.