Mexico drug cartel stronghold Sinaloa rocked by shootings, arson
Al Jazeera
Renewed violence follows US arrests of drug lords Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
Mexican military personnel were attacked and roads blocked in an outbreak of violence in northern Sinaloa state, home to one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels.
The Sinaloa state security secretariat confirmed the attacks around state capital Culiacan – the stronghold of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and his sons – on Thursday.
Gunmen attacked a military patrol in the Penasco area on the outskirts of the city while roadblocks were set up in the nearby locality of Limon de Los Ramos, the secretariat posted on X.
State Governor Ruben Rocha said that assailants set two vehicles on fire “with the aim of blocking authorities”. He did not specify a motive.
Local media showed video and photos of the vehicles in flames, a common tactic deployed to prevent police or military units from reaching a particular area.
