Mexico: 14 more murders in Sinaloa, eight bodies found in another state

 

According to the official data released yesterday Monday,


Fourteen people were murdered yesterday Sunday, the day of Mexico's national holiday, in the state of Sinaloa (northwest). For a week now, there have been clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel, terrorizing residents.

It is not clear at this stage whether the latest killings have a direct connection to the internal conflict in the gang, which was founded by the notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, now based in the US.


In total, at least 39 people were killed in a week in Sinaloa state, including the deaths yesterday of two civilians and a soldier, according to figures from the prosecutor's office and the state's security ministry.

About thirty other people—an estimated 34—were kidnapped on the sidelines of the conflict between Joaquín Guzmán's sons, the so-called "chapitos," and loyalists of his former deputy leader.

Armed clashes, road blockades, schools closed on Thursday and Friday: the wave of violence affects a million residents in the state capital of Culiacan, where celebrations for Mexican independence were canceled last Sunday night.

The violence is a consequence of the arrest on July 25 in the US of the capo Ismael Sabada Garcia, or "El Mayo", co-founder of the cartel, together with "Chapo".

Mayo was arrested along with one of Chapo's sons, whom he accuses of betraying him — the very reason for the conflict within the cartel, according to the governor in Sinaloa state.

At the same time, eight people were found dead on a road in the state of Chihuahua, in the northern part of the country, the prosecutor's office announced yesterday.

"Six (of the victims) were found charred and two others with obvious bullet wounds", according to a press release published by this source.

A thirty-five-year-old man, wounded by bullets, succumbed while receiving medical care at the hospital where he was treated, the prosecutor's office said.

A "completely charred" car, gun casings of various calibers and two guns were found at the scene, evidence that suggests a battle took place.