The drug cartel's video surveillance system was superior to that of the State Public Security Secretariat, which only has 222 cameras in operation.
Murdered Minors
Since September, 34 minors have been murdered in the state. On January 19, in the Los Ángeles sector, shots were fired at a vehicle in which Antonio de Jesús was traveling with his sons, Alexander, 9, and Gael Antonio, 12, and another minor named Adolfo, 17.
The father and his two sons died, prompting the school where one of the children attended to organize a march on Thursday, the 23rd, to demand justice.
Hundreds of people attended the rally, marching to the Government Palace where, after breaking down doors, they reached the office of Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, demanding justice and the president's resignation.
Three days later, on Sunday, January 23, hundreds of citizens once again took to the streets chanting "Out with Rocha!" and the president responded that he would not leave the governorship through marches, only through the mechanisms established in the Constitution.
Last Tuesday, 14-year-old Regina died in a hospital after being injured in a confrontation in the Villa Juárez municipality on Thursday, February 27.
A week before Regina was injured, a car wash was attacked in the Adolfo Ruiz Cortínez neighborhood, killing 14-year-old Carlos Felipe, who worked there.
Incidental Victims and Police
During the clashes between hitmen, incidental victims who were injured have also been reported.
On the afternoon of February 17, a shootout and chase broke out between gunmen in the Cañadas, Infonavit Barrancos, Antonio Nakayama, Plutarco Elías Calles, Adolfo Ruíz Cortines, and Felipe Ángeles neighborhoods.
The death toll was two gunmen and nine people injured, including a 5-year-old child. All the injured were accidental victims.
Photo: CUARTOSCURO
Police forces have also been targeted by criminals, and in six months, 25 officers and former officers have been killed, primarily from the Culiacán Municipal Public Security and Transit Secretariat.
Just last week, municipal police officers Ezequiel, Petra Emilia, and Joel Alberto were found murdered. They were kidnapped on February 28 while responding to a homicide report in the municipality of Costa Rica.
Since September, eight Culiacán municipal police officers have been killed; five from the Mazatlán Municipal Public Security and Transit Secretariat; two from the State Preventive Police; two from the Navolato Municipal Public Security Directorate; three from the FGE Investigative Police; one from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection; and four from the Secretariat of National Defense.
It's not just Culiacán
In the first days of the dispute, the area near the southern exit of the city and the southern districts were the scene of the dispute.
As the days passed, it spread to the municipalities of Elota, Mazatlán, and Rosario.
Last week, in Potrerillos del Norote and Pueblo Nuevo, in Elota, there were clashes, in which one body was left hanging at the entrance to Potrerillos, another in the cemetery, and five on a dirt road.
Mexico City's International Highway 15 in Culiacán was one of the places where gunmen dumped bodies and clashed, but in recent weeks, the eastern sector of Culiacán has experienced constant gunfire.
The Barrio, Amistad, 5 de Febrero, and Guadalupe Victoria areas continually report shootings, murders, and the burning of homes and businesses.
The wave of violence forced federal authorities to reinforce their presence in the state, and by December, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection confirmed that there were 11,000 federal agents on hand. Last February, more than 3,000 agents were deployed for the 2025 Mazatlán Carnival.
The celebration passed without incident, but the performances of Jorge Medina and Josi Cuen at the coronation of the King of Joy and Grupo Firme at the coronation of the Queen were canceled. The day after a banner was left in Tijuana with a message threatening to kill them if they appeared at the carnival.
Due to the insecurity, the 2024 celebration of the Grito de Independencia at the Government Palace and the Livestock Fair in Culiacán had already been canceled.
Targeted Strikes
In the operations, cartel leaders have been arrested, including Fernando Pérez, alias "El Piyi," on September 19, as an alleged operator of Los Chapitos; Juan Carlos Félix, alias "El Chavo Félix," son-in-law of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, on January 18.
In February, Army personnel captured Los Chapitos pilot Mauro Alberto Núñez Ojeda, alias "El Jando," in the municipality of Jesús María, in a shootout involving aerial fire.
The town's mayor confirmed that the confrontation was not with hitmen, but rather between soldiers who arrived by helicopter and fired at soldiers on the ground.
In Tierra Blanca, Los Chapitos financial operator José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, alias "El Güerito," was arrested; An air and ground operation was deployed in various sectors of the city, later extending to the municipality of Culiacancito, where Kevin Castro Gil was captured.
Article published on March 9, 2025, in issue 1154 of the weekly Ríodoce.
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