Turf War Between Sinaloa Cartel Spinoffs Continues to Escalate With 34 Murders in Three Days

It has been seven weeks since Los Chapitos and La Mayiza started a bloody battle in Sinaloa, reawakening levels of violence not seen in the state for over a decade as they seek to dominate the state and its smuggling routes. Last week ended as the deadliest of the raging conflict, registering 53 homicides, more than half of them happening over the weekend.

At least 34 homicides were confirmed between Friday and Sunday. Saturday was the deadliest day, with at least 14 homicides, most of which occurred in the municipality of Culiacán .

Per authority reports cited by Infobae, the victims' bodies were mostly found in public spaces across the state. In one particular case, a head was discovered inside a cooler with a message attributed to "La Mayiza," the faction led by the son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the co-founder of the cartel whose capture in late July catalyzed the ongoing war.

Only on Oct. 25, the State Attorney General's Office (FGE by its initials in Spanish) opened six investigation files for the intentional homicide of 11 people, nine of whom were found in Culiacán and two more in Navolato.

Hundreds of people have died in Sinaloa since early September, when the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel started fighting for control following the arrests of notable leaders within the cartel. The "Chapitos," led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and the "Mayiza." Zambada blames his capture on Joaquín Guzmán López, one of "El Chapo's" sons.

Earlier this month, the Mexican government sent additional troops to Sinaloa as part of an ongoing effort to address the violence, an action that was met with resistance from the criminal factions. Last week, Mexican troops reported to have killed 19 drug cartel members after they were attacked by over 30 suspected cartel members in Culiacan.

Authorities have been arresting other top members of the cartels, the latest example being the right-hand man of the security chief for "Los Chapitos," a man known as "El Cañas."

"El Cañas" is believed to be the right-hand man of Humberto Figueroa, alias "El 27," the security chief for the Sinaloa cartel faction known as "Los Chapitos." Other four people were arrested as part of the operation.

Members of the military confirmed the arrest of another key member of the criminal organization in late September. Mario Alexander Gámez., a.k.a "El Piyi" was captured in Culiacán during an operation carried out by the army and the National Guard. "El Piyi" is allegedly a close collaborator of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, another son of "El Chapo" and one of the current leaders of "Los Chapitos."