ALABAMA - Northern Mexico has seen an increase in violence as a result of ongoing turf wars between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The violence seen in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, which has reached 90 deaths so far this year, is spreading to other parts of the region and involving other criminal organizations operating in the country.
The main conflict is pitting factions of the Sinaloa Cartel battling for control over territories: the "Chapitos," who answer to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and the "Mayiza," loyal to recently-captured Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada have intensified their clashes in recent weeks. Over 90 people have died since September 9, when the war between the sides formally began.
But the groups are now dividing their attention due to conflicts with another criminal organization. In Tijuana, members of the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) are clashing with groups of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in disputes to control parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to Semanario Zeta Tijuana, a local media outlet, there have been seven shootings that involved both groups.
Local leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel include Edwin "El Max" Rubio, Rafael Yocupicio, also known as "El Cabezón" and Franklin "El Ranchero" Huezo. CDS figureheads have been fighting against its CJNG counterparts led by Javier Adrián Beltrán Cabrera, a.k.a "El Pedrito" and Isaac Alhiu Chávez Cabrera, also known as "El Puma."
According to investigators from the Mesa de Coordinación por la Paz y Seguridad, the modus operandi of Sinaloa Cartel (which does not distinguish factions in this case) includes the use of drug dealers and hitmen brought to Tijuana from nearby communities.
Videos of several homicides that have taken place in Tijuana over recent weeks have revealed that the drug dealers operate outside of nightclubs around the La Mesa neighborhood. Security cameras of nearby businesses have captured the alleged drug dealers going in and out of nightclubs, which is an indication that businesses could be colluding with the cartels.
On Sept. 24, three bodies were found inside an abandoned vehicle along with a "narcomensaje" (narco message) signed with the initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Earlier this year, a report from the city's Citizens Security Council revealed that, as of May, the city of Tijuana had seen crime go up by 20% compared to 2023. The group also reported that crime had gone up 31% compared to 2021.
The turf war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has also spilled over to other states in northern Mexico, including Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, and Durango.
On Sept. 26, CJNG claimed responsibility for a large explosion at a public event in the city of Zacatecas, which resulted in 20 people being injured and police cars damaged. It was reportedly a message to the state governor, accused by the cartel of allowing the entry of a Sinaloa Cartel faction into the territory.
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