U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar celebrated what he described as the local armed forces' progress against cartels, particularly the Sinaloa one, saying the criminal organization is "against the ropes."
"We've done much to create a new relationship. That's why the cartels, among them the Sinaloa one, are being dismantled. The Mexican government is to be credited for that," said Salazar. He added that the U.S. has provided support "but always respecting Mexico's sovereignty."
The statements are part of a broader message being pushed by the Claudia Sheinbaum about a crackdown on organized crime, particularly in the northern region of the country. The Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Omar García Harfuch, said last week that violence in Sinaloa has been "contained."
To back his claims, he highlighted that municipality of Culiacán are now receiving more theft reports than other crimes." However, he also said that "the situation has been contained because the most intense confrontations have not occurred within Culiacán."
He was making reference to the turf war currently being fought by two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza," which began after cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was captured and taken to the U.S. in July, a development he blamed on one of the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a now former ally.
His words came just days after Sinaloa ended November with nearly 175 homicides and after citizens in the municipality of Culiacan reported an explosion followed by a shooting in the area. Authorities have also reported the death of 13 officers and the disappearance of another one during the past three months, when the confrontations devolved into an all-out war.
Over 500 homicides have been reported in the state since then. 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 in November.
When asked about the recent bout of violence in Sinaloa, Harfuch expressed confidence in the federal government's efforts but acknowledged that the results would not be immediate. "This will be resolved, but it's not something that happens overnight," he said.
Harfuch attributed the results to President Claudia Sheinbaum's deployment of the National Defense in Culiacan. "We will continue to increase the presence of security forces," he stated. Harfuch also cited high-impact arrests of drug cartel members made over the past months. Sheinbaum announced on Tuesday that she will visit Sinaloa next week as part of a labor-related tour.
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