Gunbattles Erupt for Control of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel

War has broken out in Mexico between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel as one of its founders pleaded not guilty in New York on a 17-count indictment accusing him of murder and drug trafficking. 

At least 12 people have been killed, 11 wounded and 14 kidnapped or gone missing in northwestern Sinaloa state since Monday, prompting local authorities to shut down schools and cancel independence day celebrations in the state capital, Culiacán. A party and outdoor concert that more than 20,000 people were expected to attend on Sunday night was called off. 

Gunmen from the gang once led by the 76-year-old Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada are battling hit men from the “Chapitos” faction, led by two sons of imprisoned drug boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. During a Friday morning news conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the feuding drug gangs to stop the fighting. “Calm down, think of the country, think of the people, of the citizens,” he said.