Mexican authorities confirmed a series of violent incidents on Thursday in northern Sinaloa state, where military personnel were attacked and roads were blocked with burning vehicles. The violence occurred just north of Culiacán, the state capital and a stronghold of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, once led by the infamous Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The Sinaloa state security secretariat reported that gunmen targeted a military patrol in the Pénasco area, while roadblocks were set up in the nearby locality of Limón de Los Ramos. The attacks, which included setting vehicles on fire to block roads, are a common tactic used by cartels to disrupt military and police operations. State Governor Rubén Rocha confirmed that two vehicles were set ablaze “with the aim of blocking authorities” but did not provide further details on the attackers’ motives or whether there were casualties.
Local media circulated images and videos of the burning vehicles, highlighting the intensity of the clashes. The violence has sparked concerns about potential broader unrest in Sinaloa, especially in the wake of recent high-profile arrests and internal conflicts within the Sinaloa cartel.
Mexico: Security operations likely to continue amid violent clashes, roadblocks in Culiacan, Sinaloa State, as of late Aug. 29 https://t.co/mj9LOExV9W pic.twitter.com/RQFQjOtoYm
— Recicla Móvil Coyoacán SC de RL de CV (@reciclamovil) August 30, 2024
This latest outbreak of violence follows the detention of several key cartel figures. In July, Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, allegedly kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, an elder statesman of the cartel and leader of a rival faction, and flew him to the United States. The abduction is believed to be linked to the earlier arrest of another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzmán, who was extradited to the U.S. in January 2023. Mexican authorities have called on the U.S. to clarify Ovidio Guzmán’s legal status after reports emerged that he was taken out of a U.S. prison in late July.
The Secretary of Public Education in Sinaloa announced that classes would continue as planned on Friday despite the turmoil, signaling an attempt to maintain normalcy amid the chaos.
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