Realidad Turística
Barceló Solymar
Walmart
Los Portales
blackanddecker
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
INTERFER
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Herbalife
MuniGuate
Cubasol
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Nestle
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
INOR
Agexport
AVA Resorts
Intecap
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo

After El Mayo’s Arrest, Mexicans Fear Violence May Engulf Sinaloa

Date:

Share:

Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Los Portales
INTERFER
AVA Resorts
Nestle
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Realidad Turística
Intecap
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
blackanddecker
INOR
Herbalife

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Scarred by the last bout of intra-cartel fighting, residents in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa are bracing themselves for violence amid fears the arrest of legendary drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada could spark a fissure and a bloody war.

Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel in the late 1980s with former kingping Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was detained last week near El Paso, Texas, after disembarking from a small plane. Surprise at the dramatic arrest quickly turned to trepidation in Sinaloa as it emerged one of El Chapo’s sons purportedly betrayed the cartel’s elder statesman.

El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, had been having lengthy talks about surrendering with U.S. authorities, according to multiple current and former officials who spoke to Reuters last week and suggested he duped Zambada to get on the flight. But Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, has alleged that his client was violently kidnapped by six gunmen, who bundled him onto the aircraft.

Residents fear Zambada’s family members, who hold high-level positions in the cartel, will bid to avenge their father’s betrayal and spark a conflict. A similar claim of treachery in 2008 led to years of brutal infighting that convulsed Sinaloa.

The situation in Sinaloa is likely to get “ugly”, according to a cartel member in Sinaloa who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

“The arrest of El Mayo could cause a lot of war, between the narcos,” added Bonifacio, a resident in state capital Culiacan, who like all the others interviewed in the city declined to give his full name due to fears about his security.

Mexico’s military has sent about 400 troops into Sinaloa after the arrest, including 200 elite Special Forces soldiers.

Zambada and Joaquin Guzman are key leaders of two of the most powerful factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is made up of several groupings that wield power in different territories across the state and country. They often pool resources, but sometimes also clash.

Guzman Lopez is one of four brothers – known as Los Chapitos, or the Little Chapos – who inherited their father’s portion of the cartel. El Mayo commanded another major faction.

After El Chapo’s extradition to the United States in 2017 and the ascent of his sons, the two groupings have had a tense relationship, though it never spilled out into all-out warfare.

Jose, another Culiacan resident, said he’s preparing himself for shootouts in the city after Zambada’s arrest. “It is very big what happened,” he said, “It is not just anything.”

POWER VACUUM

Sinaloans are feverishly speculating about the events that led to Zambada’s arrest because they know the opening of a power vacuum often results in violence, said America Armenta, an independent Sinaloan journalist in Culiacan.

“That fear remains because we know in the past how the organized crime groups have reacted when there is free (territory) somewhere,” she said.

Many residents still harbour painful memories from a 2008 fallout, when Sinaloa was plunged into chaos after the detention of powerful drug lord Alfredo Beltran Leyva, whose family accused El Chapo of helping orchestrate that arrest. They alleged El Chapo struck a quid-pro-quo deal with Mexican authorities for the release of his then-imprisoned son, Ivan Guzman Salazar.

Spasms of grisly violence shattered the relative sense of tranquility in Sinaloa at the time. Shootouts, targeted killings and demonstrations of violence, such as bodies hanged off bridges, punctuated daily life in Sinaloa.

More recently, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen laid siege to Culiacan in 2019 after the military detained another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez. Cartel foot soldiers blocked roads with burning cars and paralyzed the city amid shootouts with security troops, forcing the military to release Ovidio in an event locals call “Culiacanazo”.

Many people are “mortified because we are afraid of a new Culiacanazo”, said Tomas, another Culiacan resident.

“We are going to be on alert,” he said. (Reuters)

Realidad Turística
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Cubasol
Intecap
Barceló Solymar
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Agexport
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
INOR
blackanddecker
Nestle
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MuniGuate
Walmart
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Herbalife
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Los Portales
INTERFER
AVA Resorts
MuniGuate
Havanatur
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
AirEuropa
Blue Diamond Resorts
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Intecap
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Henkel Latinoamerica
INTERFER
Barcelo Guatemala City
Cubacel

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Pan American Health Organization Launches Interactive Dashboard on Avian Influenza in The Americas

To monitor cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched an interactive dashboard on the web...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Barcelo Guatemala City
Cubacel
Intecap
Blue Diamond Resorts
Henkel Latinoamerica
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
AirEuropa
INTERFER
Havanatur

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

INTERFER
Intecap
Barceló Solymar
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Los Portales
Nestle
Herbalife
blackanddecker
Agexport
AVA Resorts
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MuniGuate
Cubasol
Realidad Turística
INOR
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Walmart