Sinaloa, Mexico - A brutal wave of violence swept the state of Sinaloa over the weekend, with authorities reporting 22 homicides between Saturday and Monday. The killings – which occurred despite the recent deployment of additional troops to the region – underscore the ongoing security challenges in the stronghold of some of Mexico’s most powerful cartels.
According to Sinaloa’s state prosecutor, 16 people were found dead on Saturday alone in various locations. The grim discoveries spanned the state: four bodies in one neighborhood of the capital Culiacán, others in smaller towns such as Tepuche and Aquiles Serdán. In one particularly gruesome find, police in the municipality of Ahome discovered four executed victims and a black bag containing human remains dumped on the side of a highway. Additional victims turned up in Elota (a body on a toll road) and in Sinaloa Municipality (an executed man in a rural community).
The violence continued into Sunday with five more homicides recorded. Among them, a mother and her adult son were killed in an armed assault in Choix municipality – an 87-year-old woman and her 48-year-old son caught in a deadly attack in their home. Other Sunday incidents included shootings in Navolato and rural Culiacán that left multiple men dead or injured.
By Monday pre-dawn hours, two more men were found executed on the outskirts of Culiacán near a military checkpoint. Another murder took place in Escuinapa, where a 55-year-old man was fatally stabbed, allegedly by his own 18-year-old son during a domestic altercation. As of Monday, police were also investigating a double shooting in Culiacán that wounded two men, adding to the toll of violence.
State officials acknowledged that this “red weekend” was one of the most violent of the year for Sinaloa. It comes despite increased military presence. Just last week, the Army sent an extra 90 Special Forces soldiers to Culiacán to reinforce security operations, joining thousands of federal forces already stationed in the area. Sinaloa’s governor Ruben Rocha Moya lamented the bloodshed and convened an emergency meeting of the security cabinet. Authorities suspect much of the violence is linked to turf disputes within organized crime groups. Sinaloa is home to the cartel of the same name, formerly led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and now believed to be under the influence of factions loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada or El Chapo’s sons.
Notably, the weekend’s carnage occurred almost exactly one year after the high-profile arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was carried out (in mid-2024) – an event that officials say has destabilized criminal hierarchies in Sinaloa. A recent security analysis reported 1,723 murders and 1,400 disappearances in Sinaloa in the year since El Mayo’s capture, indicating violence remains rampant. Experts suggest that newer factions and rival groups are fighting to fill power vacuums.
The federal government has touted some successes, pointing to a decline in violence in certain regions of Sinaloa over the past few months. But the weekend’s spree of killings tells a different story, drawing criticism from opposition figures who accuse authorities of not having a coherent anti-crime strategy. Citizens in Culiacán have described a tense atmosphere, with some afraid to venture out at night. The Catholic Church in Sinaloa issued a statement condemning the violence and urging “real, lasting peace efforts” beyond just deploying more troops.
Security forces did have some confrontations with criminals over the weekend. In one incident Sunday, police clashed with an armed cell in Navolato, killing three suspected gunmen and seizing rifles, tactical gear, and a late-model truck. Officials say such operations will continue. The Army has established additional checkpoints on key highways and is using drones and intelligence units to track gang movements.
As investigations proceed, no arrests have yet been announced for the murders. Many of the crime scenes bore the hallmarks of organized crime executions (bound bodies, close-range gunshots). Sinaloa’s government asserts that “targeted efforts” are underway to prevent retaliatory violence and to dismantle the groups responsible. For residents, however, the immediate reality is one of grief and fear, as Sinaloa once again grapples with the brutal fallout of organized crime rivalries.
