Latest news with #JaliscoNewGeneration
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Twenty bodies discovered in Sinaloa as Mexican cartel violence surges
Mexican authorities have found 20 bodies in the state of Sinaloa, a region gripped by a war between factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel that is reaching new heights of violence. The state prosecutor's office said on Monday that four of the victims had been decapitated and their bodies had been found hanging from a bridge on a main road near Culiacán, the state capital. Another 16, one of whom had also been decapitated, were found inside a van parked beneath the bridge. The severed heads were found in a bag at the site. The grisly finding comes at the end of the most violent month so far in a war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug-trafficking organisations, amid growing evidence that its main rival, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, has joined the conflict. The war broke out on 9 September 2024, six weeks after the arrest of two of Mexico's most powerful crime bosses in El Paso, Texas. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, was detained along with one of Guzmán's sons after a small plane touched down in the US. El Mayo accused El Chapo's son of betraying him and delivering him to US authorities. Now a faction led by El Mayo's son is waging war against another led by the two sons of El Chapo, who remain free in Mexico. The Mexican government has piled thousands of soldiers into Sinaloa, but has proven unable to curb the violence. The last two months have been the most violent yet. Overall, the war has left nearly 3,000 dead or missing. A message found alongside the bodies under the bridge indicated that the perpetrators belonged to La Mayiza, the faction led by El Mayo's son. In the face of mounting losses, El Chapo's sons, known as Los Chapitos, have reportedly struck a deal with their one-time rival, the Jalisco cartel. The US Drug Enforcement Administration warned about the potential alliance in a report last month. Such an alliance could shift the balance of power in a war that, until two months ago, seemed to be gradually reducing in intensity. It could also lead to a restructuring of the two groups' criminal empires, which extend not just across Mexico but the world. US authorities have previously identified the Chapitos as key drivers in the trafficking of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid responsible for hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in the US in recent years. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexican authorities have striven to show greater action against fentanyl trafficking, especially in Sinaloa, with more lab busts, arrests and drug seizures. According to US Customs and Border Protection data, fentanyl seizures at the border with Mexico have fallen by almost 30% this year compared to the same period last year. The Trump administration has also designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, while threatening the possibility of unilateral military action on Mexican soil, and recently accused three mid-sized Mexican banks of laundering drug money, cutting them out of the US financial system.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Twenty bodies discovered in Sinaloa as Mexican cartel violence surges
Mexican authorities have found 20 bodies in the state of Sinaloa, a region gripped by a war between factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel that is reaching new heights of violence. The state prosecutor's office said on Monday that four of the victims had been decapitated and their bodies had been found hanging from a bridge on a main road near Culiacán, the state capital. Another 16, one of whom had also been decapitated, were found inside a van parked beneath the bridge. The severed heads were found in a bag at the site. The grisly finding comes at the end of the most violent month so far in a war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug-trafficking organisations, amid growing evidence that its main rival, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, has joined the conflict. The war broke out on 9 September 2024, six weeks after the arrest of two of Mexico's most powerful crime bosses in El Paso, Texas. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, was detained along with one of Guzmán's sons after a small plane touched down in the US. El Mayo accused El Chapo's son of betraying him and delivering him to US authorities. Now a faction led by El Mayo's son is waging war against another led by the two sons of El Chapo, who remain free in Mexico. The Mexican government has piled thousands of soldiers into Sinaloa, but has proven unable to curb the violence. The last two months have been the most violent yet. Overall, the war has left nearly 3,000 dead or missing. A message found alongside the bodies under the bridge indicated that the perpetrators belonged to La Mayiza, the faction led by El Mayo's son. In the face of mounting losses, El Chapo's sons, known as Los Chapitos, have reportedly struck a deal with their one-time rival, the Jalisco cartel. The US Drug Enforcement Administration warned about the potential alliance in a report last month. Such an alliance could shift the balance of power in a war that, until two months ago, seemed to be gradually reducing in intensity. It could also lead to a restructuring of the two groups' criminal empires, which extend not just across Mexico but the world. US authorities have previously identified the Chapitos as key drivers in the trafficking of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid responsible for hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in the US in recent years. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexican authorities have strived to show greater action against fentanyl trafficking, especially in Sinaloa, with more lab busts, arrests and drug seizures. According to US Customs and Border Protection data, fentanyl seizures at the border with Mexico have fallen by almost 30% this year compared to the same period last year. The Trump administration has also designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, while threatening the possibility of unilateral military action on Mexican soil, and recently accused three mid-sized Mexican banks of laundering drug money, cutting them out of the US financial system.
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Children among 10 killed by gunmen in crime-hit Mexican city
Guanajuato recorded more than 3,000 murders last year, the most of any Mexican state. (AFP pic) CELAYA : Gunmen killed 10 people including children in an attack on a house in a central Mexican city plagued by gang-related violence, authorities said today. Several others were wounded in the shooting last night in Irapuato in Guanajuato state, the municipal government said in a statement. Children were among the victims of the 'deplorable' attack, president Claudia Sheinbaum told her morning news conference, adding that authorities had launched an investigation. Guanajuato is a thriving industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations, but it is also Mexico's deadliest state due to gang turf wars, according to official homicide statistics. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. Much of the violence in Guanajuato is linked to conflict between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful in the Latin American nation. Guanajuato recorded more than 3,000 murders last year, the most of any Mexican state, according to official figures.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gunmen kill 11 at religious festival in Mexico's Guanajuato state
A gun attack during a religious celebration in central Mexico has left 11 people dead and at least 20 others injured in violence-plagued Guanajuato state, local officials have confirmed. The shooting erupted Tuesday night in the city of Irapuato, authorities said on Wednesday, during festivities marking the Nativity of John the Baptist. Witnesses described terrible scenes of panic and chaos as partygoers fled the gunfire. 'It was chaos. People put the wounded into their cars and rushed to hospital to try to save them,' one witness told the news agency AFP, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns. Footage shared online shows the moment gunfire rang out as people danced and celebrated. Screams can be heard as the crowd scattered in panic. Bloodstains and bullet holes were still visible at the scene on Wednesday morning. Among the dead were a 17-year-old, eight men, and two women, according to the Guanajuato state prosecutor's office. In a statement, Irapuato's local government called the attack a 'cowardly act' and said security forces are hunting those responsible. Psychological support is being offered to affected families. President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the attack as 'deplorable' and said an investigation had been launched. At her daily news conference, Sheinbaum referred to the shooting as a 'confrontation', without elaborating on details. Guanajuato Governor Libia Dennise also denounced the attack, offering condolences to the victims' families and pledging justice. While Guanajuato is known for its industrial growth and colonial-era tourism hubs, it has notoriously become renowned as Mexico's most violent state in recent years. Authorities blame much of the bloodshed on an ongoing turf war between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel. Government figures show Guanajuato recorded more than 3,000 homicides last year — the highest in the country. Since Mexico launched its so-called war on drugs in 2006, more than 480,000 people have been killed in criminal violence, with more than 120,000 listed as missing.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Gunmen kill 11 in crime-hit Mexican city
Gunmen killed 11 people and injured at least 20 in an attack during a religious festival in a central Mexican city plagued by gang-related violence, authorities said Wednesday. Bloodstains were seen on the ground and bullet holes in the walls following the shooting Tuesday night in Irapuato in Guanajuato state during celebrations marking the Nativity of John the Baptist. "It was chaos. People put the wounded into their cars and rushed to hospital to try to save them," a witness told AFP, asking not to be named due to safety concerns. A 17-year-old was among those killed, along with eight adult men and two women, the Guanajuato state prosecutor's office said, vowing that the crime would not go unpunished. Security forces were searching for the perpetrators of the "cowardly act," while officials were providing psychological support to those affected, the Irapuato municipal government said in a statement. President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the shooting as "deplorable," adding that authorities had launched an investigation. Speaking at her daily news conference, Sheinbaum described the incident as a "confrontation" without giving details about the circumstances or the victims. A video shared online shows the moment when gunfire erupted as people were dancing and socializing, causing panic. Guanajuato state Governor Libia Dennise condemned the bloodshed and expressed "solidarity and condolences" to the victims and their families. Guanajuato is a thriving industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations, but it is also Mexico's deadliest state due to gang turf wars, according to official homicide statistics. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. Much of the violence in Guanajuato is linked to conflict between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful in the Latin American nation. Guanajuato recorded more than 3,000 murders last year, the most of any Mexican state, according to official figures. str/jla/dr/ksb
