Three people were killed and two injured in a Sonora nightclub this weekend, after a shooting allegedly linked to factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The shootout took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, in the Jakarta Clublife nightclub in Hermosillo, according to a statement by the Sonora Prosecutor’s Office (FGJES).
The three men killed included Luis Antonio “N” and Felizardo Armando “N,” whom the FGJES identified as members of a criminal group based in Nogales, Sonora. The men allegedly led the group’s operations in a number of small towns surrounding Hermosillo.
One of the injured was identified as Kevin Alejandro “N,” the son of a man recently sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for his role in the same Nogales-based criminal group.
Although the FGJES did not name the group, in November, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned several members of a Nogales-based faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Juan Carlos Morgan Huerta (alias “Cacayo”). The sanctioned men are accused of overseeing cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking in the Sonoran border city.
Local news outlets speculate that the shootout at Jakarta Clublife may be linked to a war between the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by the sons of jailed drug lord Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán, and the rival “Los Salazar” faction.
Although Los Salazar previously served as an armed wing for Los Chapitos, they reportedly defied Los Chapitos’ attempted ban on fentanyl trafficking in 2023, sparking a new conflict over drug trafficking routes through Sonora’s Altar Desert.
This is not the only notable violent incident in Sonora in recent weeks. On Jan. 20, police killed 12 suspected criminals in a shootout on the Hermosillo-Bahia de Kino highway. The men had allegedly attacked police following the arrest of Carlos Humberto Limón, a criminal leader linked to Los Chapitos.
Hours after the most recent shootout, the FGJES said that it had secured the crime scene and was interviewing employees of the nightclub to clarify the events and establish whether the attackers had received any support or cover-up.
The agency added that it was inquiring with local authorities whether the venue had all the permits necessary to operate legally.
With reports from Milenio, Infobae and El Financiero
