Mexican authorities reported shootings on Saturday in the central streets of Culiacán, capital of the state of Sinaloa, and blockades on important avenues, in a violent day in which 10 people died, according to news reports.
The incidents mark the twelfth consecutive day of a criminal uprising due to the confrontation between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, a powerful drug trafficking group, following the capture on July 25 of its leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada by United States authorities.
The arrest of the drug lord, kidnapped in Mexico by one of his associates and flown to the United States, sparked an internal war that has left some 70 dead since September 9, according to a report based on official and press figures.
This Saturday, three incidents occurred in the central Tres Ríos sector, where the Sinaloa state prosecutor’s office is located.
The first was a shootout between police and suspected hitmen, followed by a roadblock by unknown individuals on motorcycles and cars, who were stationed about 200 metres from the prosecutor’s office.
The third incident occurred when armed civilians attacked security agents and then took refuge in an apartment building. There they engaged in a shootout that left three alleged criminals dead, one arrested and two soldiers injured, reported state governor Rubén Rocha Moya via X.
“Security forces managed to evacuate six adults and one minor from the building where the attackers had taken refuge,” added Rocha, who traveled to Mexico City on Saturday to meet with President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office on October 1.
The central government sent 600 soldiers to reinforce security in Sinaloa on Saturday.
Local media also reported the murder of seven people. The bodies of five of them were left in the street, half naked and wearing hats, in what is presumed to be an intimidating message between the feuding criminals.
Authorities have not yet confirmed these murders.
The violence in Sinaloa is mainly concentrated in Culiacán, ravaged by fighting, roadblocks and widespread anxiety, which has paralyzed life and the economy of that region.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the United States for the violence because it unilaterally planned Zambada’s capture.
The US ambassador to Mexico rejected the claim on Friday, denying that his country had organised the arrest.
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