Sinaloa Is Averaging More Than Half a Dozen Homicides Per Day As Cartel Turf Wars Rage On

In a matter of months, the State of Sinaloa has seen a surge in violence due to turf wars involving "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza," the two most prominent cliques of the infamous and eponymous cartel.

According to 2023 data from Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection (SSPC) 531 intentional homicides were reported in the state of Sinaloa last year.

But three months into the internal conflict between two Sinaloa Cartel factions, 555 homicides have been reported throughout Sinaloa, with the majority taking place in the capital city of Culiacán, one of the cartel's strongholds.

The war that started after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was captured in July has also led to the kidnapping or disappearance of nearly 700 more people, according to data from Sinaloa's Attorney General's Office.

The war have transformed Sinaloa and Culiacán from relatively quiet places (ranked 19th among states with more homicides in 2023) into one of the most dangerous.

Sinaloa has been averaging more than six homicides every 24 hours over the past three months. It is a higher number for disappearances, with 695 people gone missing for an average of 7.7 every 24 hours.

According to Milenio, the average homicide rate in Sinaloa before the turf war broke was around 30 to 40 homicides a month. In September the state reported 144 homicides, followed by 188 in October, and 175 were reported in the month of November.

Although the number of homicides seems to be at an all-time high for the region, official reports do not include the number of people that were killed during clashes between military personnel and armed forces, which could make the number even higher.

According to Revista Espejo, at least 51 people have died during operations conducted by Mexican military units such as the Navy, Army and the National Guard.

Military personnel has also suffered some casualties. According to the publication, at least seven soldiers have been killed by criminal groups since being deployed to northern Mexico a little over three months ago.

Police officers have been on the wrong end of this wave of violence too. Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, Sinaloa's top security official, said on Dec. 10 that 13 police officers had been killed in Sinaloa.

"We have 13 homicides to police officers including two former officers. Five took place in Mazatlán, three in Culiacán and Navolato...one of the officers continues to be held against his will," Mérida Sánchez said.