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Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
20 bodies, some decapitated, found in Mexico amid bloody cartel turf war
Mexican authorities found twenty bodies, including several that were decapitated, in the country's western state of Sinaloa – the latest episode of violence that's erupted as factions of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel fight for control over the area. Sinaloa state prosecutors said four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge over a highway near the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. Authorities found 16 bodies riddled with gunshot wounds in a van on the same highway, one of which was also decapitated, local media reported. Speaking at a news conference June 30, Sinaloa Secretary General Feliciano Castro Meléndez said the incident was "regrettable" and told reporters that authorities were trying to get a handle on the rampant violence. "Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa," he said. For months, Sinaloa has been the epicenter of bloody clashes between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. The turf war erupted last summer, after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the cofounder and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested by federal authorities in Texas. Zambada claims he was kidnapped and delivered by plane to U.S. authorities in a betrayal orchestrated by one of the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada remains in custody pending trial on 17 counts of drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering; he has pleaded not guilty. Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado following his conviction in 2019 on over two dozen drug violations and one murder conspiracy charge. The U.S. has targeted the Sinaloa Cartel for its role in trafficking deadly fentanyl over the border. Fentanyl, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in recent years, is the nation's leading cause of death for those between the ages of 18 and 49, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. New report: Hacker for El Chapo helped boss hunt and kill FBI informants Such violent clashes aren't limited to Sinaloa. In the border city of Ciudad Juarez, over 40 homicides in May and June have been linked to a turf war between La Linea, the armed wing of the transnational Juarez Cartel, and a Sinaloa Cartel faction known as Los Cabrera. This week, ABC News first reported that American families who've lost loved ones in violence stemming from Mexican drug cartels called on the State Department to designate La Linea as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would open the group up to facing sanctions, immigration restrictions and other penalties. The Sinaloa Cartel was added to the list in February, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office calling for international cartels to receive the designation. The Trump administration has moved swiftly to clamp down on the cartel, announcing in June sanctions on a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as Los Chapitos. The State Department also announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrests of the faction's leaders, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, two of El Chapo's sons. Contributing: Josh Meyer and Thao Nguyen This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 20 bodies, some decapitated, found after latest Mexican cartel clash
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Reuters
El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman expected to plead guilty in US court
July 11 (Reuters) - A son of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is expected to plead guilty on Friday in a sprawling drug trafficking case targeting the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 35, is due in Chicago federal court for a change of plea hearing, court records show. He pleaded not guilty in September 2023 to five counts of drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges. Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brothers -- known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos -- revived the Sinaloa Cartel after their father's arrest in 2016 by embracing fentanyl, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by sending the deadly opioid to the U.S.. Ovidio Guzman Lopez, also known as 'El Raton' or 'Raton Nuevo,' was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico in September 2023 as part of the federal government's war on fentanyl, a highly lethal drug that killed nearly 200 Americans daily in 2023. That death toll has been a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's trade negotiations with Mexico, with Trump demanding Mexico do more to stop the flow of fentanyl in exchange for tariff relief. Ovidio Guzman Lopez brother Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested in El Paso along with Sinaloa kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada last July in a dramatic coup for U.S. authorities, who recruited Joaquin Guzman Lopez to lure Zambada into the country on a private plane. Also known as 'El Guero' or 'Guero Moreno,' Joaquin Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges, and prosecutors say they will not pursue the death penalty against him. Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, has also pleaded not guilty. In February, his lawyer told Reuters he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed to spare him the death penalty. El Chapo is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado after his 2019 drug trafficking conviction.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mexican authorities find 20 bodies, some decapitated, in Sinaloa state
Twenty bodies, several of them decapitated, have been found on a highway bridge in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, Mexican authorities say, as rival drug cartel factions fight one another in the area. The Sinaloa state prosecutor's office reported a grisly scene on Monday: Four headless corpses were found on a roadside, 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle near the state capital, Culiacan, and five human heads were found inside a bag. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, although the note's contents were not immediately disclosed. Feliciano Castro, a Sinaloa government spokesperson, condemned the killings and said authorities need to examine their strategy for tackling organised crime due to the 'magnitude' of the violence seen. 'Military and police forces are working together to re-establish total peace in Sinaloa,' Castro said. Members of the public in the state, however, said authorities have lost control. Sinaloa has been gripped by months of violence fuelled by rival drug traffickers vying for control of routes used to produce and transport narcotics, including fentanyl, that are often destined for the United States. The groups are split between members loyal to Sinaloa Cartel cofounders Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada. The violence peaked after the arrest in July of Zambada, who is on trial in the US. The US announced it had arrested 76-year-old Zambada and 38-year-old Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 'El Chapo' Guzman's son, at an airport near El Paso, Texas. Zambada accused Guzman Lopez of kidnapping him in Mexico and flying him to the US in a private plane against his will. 'El Chapo' has been serving a life sentence in the US for drug trafficking since 2019. Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty last July to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago. In September, Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, murder and other charges in a New York court. The violence in Sinaloa has killed more than 1,200 people, according to official figures. The Sinaloa drug cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated as 'terrorist' organisations by the US. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed about 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mexican authorities discover 20 bodies, some decapitated, on Sinaloa highway
Prosecutors in northern Mexico's Sinaloa state are investigating the discovery of 20 male bodies with gunshot wounds – including five that were decapitated – on a bridge over a federal highway. Local media reported that a message was also found hanging over the bridge in Culiacán. The prosecutor's office told CNN it had no comment on the message but would investigate. Sinaloa Secretary General Feliciano Castro Meléndez called the case a 'regrettable situation' and said it was 'part of the violence and insecurity that Sinaloa is experiencing.' Since 2024, Culiacán has been the epicenter of armed clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel. Two of the most prominent factions are La Mayiza, which is loyal to the cartel's alleged co-founder Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, and Los Chapitos, which is loyal to the sons of former drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. The violence in Sinaloa escalated after Zambada and one of El Chapo's sons, Joaquín Guzmán López, were arrested last year by US authorities in El Paso, Texas. An official familiar with the operation told CNN at the time that Guzmán López had organized his arrest along with that of Zambada by luring him on a flight to examine a piece of land he thought was in Mexico. Instead, the plane landed in El Paso, Texas, where federal agents arrested them both. Former Mexican Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez said Guzmán López had reached an agreement with one of his brothers, Ovidio Guzmán López, who is in US custody, 'So that they would go to the United States to surrender.' However, an attorney for Ovidio told CNN that Rodriguez's claim was 'a complete and utter fabrication.' An attorney for El Mayo said he 'neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government' and described the flight to the US as a violent kidnapping. Ovidio had been extradited to the US in September 2023 to face drug trafficking charges over his alleged role in the Sinaloa cartel. Days after his extradition, he pleaded not guilty to the charges in a US court. But in May, he reached an agreement to change his plea, according to a court document reviewed by CNN. Later that month, several members of his family entered the US as part of an apparent 'negotiation or plea deal opportunity provided by the (US) Department of Justice itself,' Mexico's Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said. Two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are still at large. The US has accused them of leading large-scale drug trafficking operations for the cartel and has issued $10 million bounties for information leading to each of their arrests.
CNN
30-06-2025
- CNN
Mexican authorities discover 20 bodies, some decapitated, on Sinaloa highway
Prosecutors in northern Mexico's Sinaloa state are investigating the discovery of 20 male bodies with gunshot wounds – including five that were decapitated – on a bridge over a federal highway. Local media reported that a message was also found hanging over the bridge in Culiacán. The prosecutor's office told CNN it had no comment on the message but would investigate. Sinaloa Secretary General Feliciano Castro Meléndez called the case a 'regrettable situation' and said it was 'part of the violence and insecurity that Sinaloa is experiencing.' Since 2024, Culiacán has been the epicenter of armed clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel. Two of the most prominent factions are La Mayiza, which is loyal to the cartel's alleged co-founder Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, and Los Chapitos, which is loyal to the sons of former drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. The violence in Sinaloa escalated after Zambada and one of El Chapo's sons, Joaquín Guzmán López, were arrested last year by US authorities in El Paso, Texas. An official familiar with the operation told CNN at the time that Guzmán López had organized his arrest along with that of Zambada by luring him on a flight to examine a piece of land he thought was in Mexico. Instead, the plane landed in El Paso, Texas, where federal agents arrested them both. Former Mexican Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez said Guzmán López had reached an agreement with one of his brothers, Ovidio Guzmán López, who is in US custody, 'So that they would go to the United States to surrender.' However, an attorney for Ovidio told CNN that Rodriguez's claim was 'a complete and utter fabrication.' An attorney for El Mayo said he 'neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government' and described the flight to the US as a violent kidnapping. Ovidio had been extradited to the US in September 2023 to face drug trafficking charges over his alleged role in the Sinaloa cartel. Days after his extradition, he pleaded not guilty to the charges in a US court. But in May, he reached an agreement to change his plea, according to a court document reviewed by CNN. Later that month, several members of his family entered the US as part of an apparent 'negotiation or plea deal opportunity provided by the (US) Department of Justice itself,' Mexico's Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said. Two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are still at large. The US has accused them of leading large-scale drug trafficking operations for the cartel and has issued $10 million bounties for information leading to each of their arrests.
