Discovered: Remains of 20 individuals, some headless, along Sinaloa highway by Mexican officials
In the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, a chilling discovery has been made, with 20 bodies, including four decapitated individuals, found hanging from a bridge and others discovered inside a van. This grisly incident is believed to be a direct result of the escalating violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The conflict primarily revolves around two factions: those loyal to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán’s sons, known as Los Chapitos, and the faction aligned with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. The violence has intensified since Zambada's capture in the United States nearly a year ago, which destabilized cartel control and sparked a brutal power struggle.
The victims displayed signs of gunshot wounds, with some decapitations and mutilations indicating extreme brutality. A threatening note was found, suggesting the killings were part of the ongoing cartel war. This conflict has been marked by Los Chapitos' ruthless tactics, including torture and symbolic violence such as leaving sombreros or pizza slices on victims.
The US has accused Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, two of El Chapo's sons, of leading large-scale drug trafficking operations for the cartel. The US has issued $10 million bounties for information leading to their arrests. Unfortunately, they remain at large.
The arrests of El Chapo and Zambada by US authorities have led to a splintering of the cartel's once-unified control, causing a surge in violent confrontations in Sinaloa. The violence has resulted in over 1,200 deaths in this conflict alone, underscoring the worsening cartel violence fueled by factional rivalries and the consequences of high-profile arrests disrupting cartel leadership.
The Sinaloa Cartel is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, highlighting the seriousness of its operations and the cartel violence's impact within Mexico. The Sinaloa Secretary General, Feliciano Castro Meléndez, described the ongoing violence as a "regrettable situation" attributed to the violence and insecurity in Sinaloa.
In May, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, another son of El Chapo, reached an agreement to change his plea, according to a court document reviewed by CNN. However, an attorney for El Mayo Zambada stated that Zambada neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government. Former Mexican Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez claimed that Guzman Lopez had agreed to surrender to US authorities, but this claim was denied by Guzman Lopez's attorney, who called it a "complete and utter fabrication."
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing violence and power struggles within the Sinaloa Cartel, with the consequences of high-profile arrests leading to a splintering of the cartel's control and a surge in violent confrontations. The US and Mexican governments continue to work towards reducing cartel violence and dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel's operations.
This ongoing violence within the Sinaloa Cartel, as demonstrated by the recent discoveries in Culiacán, is a direct consequence of the power struggle between the factions loyal to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán’s sons, Los Chapitos, and those aligned with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. This conflict, marked by brutal tactics like torture and symbolic violence, is also fueled by the consequences of high-profile arrests disrupting cartel leadership, contributing to a surge in general news stories about war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and political instability.
