Mexican soldiers killed 19 suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel after they were attacked by more than 30 gunmen near Culiacán on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry (Sedena) said.
Sedena said in a statement that the troops came under fire in a rural area 11 kilometers east of Culiacán while arresting “alleged criminal cell boss,” Edwin Antonio Rubio López, who was identified as being a member of a Sinaloa Cartel faction loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who was arrested in the United States in July.
“During the event, an attack against military personnel by more than 30 individuals occurred,” the Defense Ministry said, identifying the aggressors as members of the “Los Mayos” faction and bodyguards of Rubio López, known as “El Max” and “El Oso” (The Bear).
Sedena said that the soldiers returned fire “in defense of their physical safety” and killed 19 aggressors. The other gunmen managed to escape, the ministry said.
“In this incident, the military personnel acted in strict accordance with the rule of law and with full respect for human rights and the National Law on the Use of Force,” Sedena said.
The army seized 27 firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests and helmets and seven vehicles after the shootout, according to the Sedena statement. Soldiers also took possession of a property in Plan de Oriente, the community where the confrontation took place.
Por segunda vez en un mes, han sido lanzados volantes en #Culiacán que vinculan al gobernador Rubén Rocha con ‘Los Chapitos’. Los volantes incluyen nombre y logo de ‘La Mayiza’. pic.twitter.com/AVLI0YSqTI
— La Crónica de Hoy (@LaCronicaDeHoy) October 22, 2024
Cartel faction “La Mayiza,” which is presumably operated by one of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada’s sons, issued a warning in Culiacán on Tuesday stating that they will “not rest” until they “put an end to every abuse committed by ‘Los Chapos’ for which they must take down the government that is supporting them.”
Sedena said that Rubio López — who has previously spent time in prison on murder and weapons charges — was turned over to the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Culiacán, which will determine his “legal situation.”
The Defense Ministry said that the suspect “actively participated” in the recent wave of violence in Culiacán as the “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel engaged in a fierce war.
A long-running battle between the rival criminal factions intensified after the arrest of “El Mayo” Zambada, who alleges he was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López and forced onto a private plane that took him to an airport near El Paso, Texas, where he was arrested on July 25.
Guzmán López, who flew with Zambada to the United States and is now also in U.S. custody, is a son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and one of the leaders, or ex-leaders, of “Los Chapitos.”
The Sinaloa Cartel infighting has claimed scores of lives in Culiacán and other municipalities of Sinaloa in recent months, and generated significant fear among residents of the northern state.
Bringing the security situation in Sinaloa under control is one of the key challenges of the new federal government, which presented its national security strategy two weeks ago.
Like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to avoid violent confrontations with criminals wherever possible.
Shortly before she was sworn in as president, she said that responding to the high levels of violence in Sinaloa with “firepower” would only trigger a “war” in the northern state.
With reports from El Universal and Reforma
