Culiacán, Mexico – October 23, 2024
In an escalation of cartel violence that has gripped northwestern Mexico, a deadly confrontation between the Mexican military and members of the notorious Sinaloa cartel has resulted in the deaths of 19 suspected cartel members. A shootout took place on Monday near Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state, after Mexican troops came under heavy attack from over 30 individuals believed to be part of a powerful criminal organization.
Ministry of Defense confirmed the event in a statement on Tuesday, describing a fierce firefight that left 19 attackers dead. Operation is one of the most significant blows against the Sinaloa cartel in recent months, as violence in the region surges following the July arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the cartel’s co-founders, in the United States.
Power Struggle Within Cartel
Zambada’s arrest has led to intensified infighting between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel. In particular, tensions have boiled over between Zambada’s loyalists and sons of infamous Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, collectively known as “Chapitos.” se rival groups are now battling for control of the cartel’s vast drug trafficking operations, which span continents and rake in billions of dollars.
Zambada, 76, had long been seen as a shadowy figure who held the Sinaloa cartel together, especially after El Chapo’s capture in 2016 and extradition to the United States. However, his sudden arrest in July this year, during a clandestine meeting with one of Guzman’s sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, has destabilized the cartel’s hierarchy. According to U.S. authorities, Zambada accused Lopez of betraying him—kidnapping him and handing him over to U.S. law enforcement. This internal betrayal has only deepened conflict within the cartel.
Brutal Tactics and Rising Violence
Ministry of Defense stated that cartel members involved in Monday’s deadly shootout were believed to be aligned with Zambada’s faction. Authorities have been bracing for violent reprisals following his arrest, and the region has witnessed a spike in cartel-related violence in recent months.
Sinaloa, long a bastion of cartel influence, has become the epicenter of the violent power struggles. “Chapitos,” who have taken control of key elements of the cartel, has developed a reputation for using especially brutal methods to maintain power. According to a 2023 indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice, the faction has employed savage torture techniques, including electrocution, corkscrews, and even feeding victims—dead or alive—to tigers. Se’s methods are emblematic of the sheer ruthlessness that now defines the cartel’s operations under El Chapo’s sons.
The indictment, which targeted 28 members of the cartel as part of a massive fentanyl-trafficking investigation, laid bare the extent of the Sinaloa cartel’s reach into deadly trade that has devastated communities across the U.S. and Mexico.
Legacy of El Chapo
At the heart of the cartel’s internal strife is the legacy of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, whose rise to prominence made the Sinaloa cartel one of the most powerful and feared criminal organizations in the world. El Chapo, currently serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado after his 2019 conviction, left behind a deeply fractured empire. The vacuum left by his absence has resulted in an ongoing struggle for dominance between his sons and or cartel leaders like Zambada, leading to violent clashes seen today.
Despite El Chapo’s incarceration, the influence of the Guzman family remains strong, with “Chapitos” expanding its influence across Mexico and beyond. Ir brutal leadership style has only exacerbated tensions within the cartel, fueling bloodshed as rival factions vie for control.
A Region on Edge
surge in violence in Sinaloa is emblematic of broader challenges Mexico faces in combating cartel activity. The government, under constant pressure to contain the drug trade and reduce violence, has struggled to curtail the influence of the Sinaloa cartel and or major criminal organizations that dominate large parts of the country.
Recent shootout underscores dangers facing both civilians and security forces in regions where cartel violence is rampant. Despite ongoing efforts by the Mexican government to dismantle the criminal networks, the Sinaloa cartel’s deeply entrenched influence continues to destabilize communities, leaving many fearful of further violence in the wake of Monday’s confrontation.
As the power struggle within the Sinaloa cartel intensifies, experts warn that Mexico could be entering a new phase of cartel violence—one marked by deeper internal divisions and bloodier confrontations. The deaths of 19 suspected cartel members in this latest skirmish are a reminder of the high stakes involved in the battle for control of the Sinaloa cartel’s vast drug empire.
