Mexico sends over 1,800 troops to Sinaloa amid escalating cartel war

Mexico's top security official, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed that the federal government is dispatching over 1,800 troops, among them 1,000 Mexican Navy infantrymen, to the cartel-dominated state of Sinaloa. The forces will be stationed in the coastal city of Mazatlán and the capital, Culiacán, to bolster security amid a fierce turf war between the Los Chapitos and La Mayiza factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Violence in Mazatlán has surged, with daily murders and the recent killing of an American citizen outside a seafood restaurant.

The conflict traces back to a split that began when Los Chapitos abducted cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and handed him over to U.S. agents, creating a rift within the organization. Law-enforcement and human-rights groups report more than 3,100 murders and at least 5,000 forced disappearances in the last two years, though the true toll is likely higher. The troop deployment aims to increase the government’s presence and curb the ongoing bloodshed.