The Security Ministry (SSPC) has confirmed the death of one marine when his company was ambushed by armed criminals on Saturday in the municipality of Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
Three other marines were injured during a subsequent confrontation in the northwestern state that left 10 criminals dead. The authorities reported that three Colombian nationals were arrested afterward, and weapons, ammunition and tactical equipment were seized.
Con relación a los hechos ocurridos en Sinaloa referidos durante la conferencia de prensa “Las Mañaneras del Pueblo”, se informa que, en seguimiento a una agresión contra personal naval que realizaba labores preventivas en la comunidad San Marcos de Mazatlán, donde un elemento… pic.twitter.com/zMn3Vc3q1M
— Gabinete de Seguridad de México (@GabSeguridadMX) July 6, 2026
In a joint statement issued along with the Navy Ministry, the SSPC said two of the wounded marines are out of danger but the other is in serious condition. The statement also attributed the ambush to the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Following the initial incident, the authorities increased security in the region, leading to the second clash which took place in the municipality of El Rosario, about 180 kilometers north of Mazatlán.
In describing the initial attack, the Navy said its personnel were on a routine patrol while surveying and monitoring rivers and dams as part of preventive actions to identify possible sudden increases in water levels during the rainy season.
The unidentified attackers surprised the marines in San Marcos, using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the ambush.
Although the company of marines that were ambushed was not on a search and destroy mission, the confrontation occurred in a context of intensified security operations tasked to the Navy and other security forces to combat organized crime and drug trafficking.
Afterward, in what has been described as a second tactical deployment, federal forces engaged a group of armed men, killing 10 and arrested the three others.
In a social media post outlining the weekend events, Mexico’s Security Cabinet expressed condolences and solidarity to the family, loved ones and colleagues of the marine who was killed.
Sinaloa has been in turmoil since drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was handed over to U.S. authorities by cartel rival Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in July 2024.
The betrayal — the primary subject of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference — unleashed a wave of violence in the region fed by the civil war between the “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The factional dispute has left thousands dead and wounded, with El País reporting that nearly 2,700 people have been killed in Sinaloa since the fighting began in earnest in September 2024.
On Monday, “El Mayo” announced through his lawyers that he will accept the life sentence he faces, while requesting that his health condition be guaranteed during the fulfillment of the sentence.
With reports from El Financiero, Reuters, 24 horas, El País, The Dallas Morning News and El Universal
