Mexican troops shot dead 19 suspected members of the Sinaloa cartel in a recent attack in the northwestern state of Mexico. The attack occurred on Monday near Culiacan, the state capital, where military personnel were ambushed by over 30 individuals. The firefight resulted in the death of 19 cartel members who were believed to be associated with the faction of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the cartel.
The violence in Sinaloa has escalated since Zambada’s arrest in the United States in July, which sparked a feud between his relatives and the sons of drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Zambada was arrested alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo’s sons, who led a faction of the cartel known as the “Chapitos.” Zambada has accused Lopez of betraying him to US law enforcement.
According to a US Justice Department indictment, the Chapitos and their associates engaged in brutal tactics such as torture using corkscrews, electrocution, and feeding victims to tigers. El Chapo’s sons were among 28 Sinaloa cartel members charged in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation in 2023. El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 on charges including drug trafficking and money laundering.
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