Home World Cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, leaves 20 dead, including 4 decapitated bodies

Cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, leaves 20 dead, including 4 decapitated bodies

National Guards patrol the streets in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico in October 2024

National Guards patrol the streets in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico in October 2024 ‎/AP hide caption

toggle caption

‎/AP

MEXICO CITY — Four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the capital of western Mexico’s Sinaloa state on Monday, part of a surge of cartel violence that killed 20 people in less than a day, authorities said.

A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicenter of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.

Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacán on a daily basis, homes are riddled with bullets, businesses shutter and schools regularly close down during waves of violence. Masked young men on motorcycles watch over the main avenues of the city.

Sponsor Message

On Monday, Sinaloa state prosecutors said that four bodies were found dangling from the freeway bridge leading out of the city, their heads in a nearby plastic bag.

On the same highway Monday, officials said they found 16 more male victims with gunshot wounds, packed into a white van, one of whom was decapitated. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, though the note’s contents were not immediately disclosed.

Feliciano Castro, Sinaloa government spokesperson, condemned the violent killings on Monday and said authorities needed to examine their strategy for tackling organized crime with the “magnitude” of the violence seen.

“Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa,” Castro said.

Most in the western Mexico state, however, say authorities have lost control of the violence levels.

A bloody power struggle erupted in September last year between two rival factions, pushing the city to a standstill.

The war for territorial control was triggered by the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who then delivered him to U.S. authorities via a private plane.

Sponsor Message

Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico’s violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control.

In southeast Mexico on Monday, a priest was shot leaving his home in Villahermosa, Tabasco. The Tabasco Diocese said in a statement that Rev. Héctor Alejandro Pérez had been on his way to visit someone who was ill when he was shot. The diocese said Pérez lost a lot of blood and had internal injuries putting him in “very serious” condition.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Must Read

Zelenskyy faces outcry after signing bill curbing Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies

People chant while holding banners during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday. Alex Babenko/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Babenko/AP KYIV — A controversial new law removing the independence of Ukraine's top anti-corruption watchdogs has sparked the first major protests in the country since Russia's full-scale invasion

Kremlin watches Trump as Russia and Ukraine hold a third round of ceasefire talks

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 11. Michael Shtekel/AP hide caption toggle caption Michael Shtekel/AP MOSCOW and KYIV — Russia and Ukraine are set to meet for a third round of ceasefire talks in Istanbul this week, amid recent new threats by President Trump

The U.N.’s highest court will decide on the climate obligations of countries

What remains of the "Tree of Life" on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is visible off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, after being toppled by cyclones in 2023 and further damaged by an earthquake in 2024. Annika Hammerschlag/AP hide caption toggle caption Annika Hammerschlag/AP THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The UN's highest court is handing down

Thousands protest as Zelenskyy signs bill weakening anti-corruption agencies

Protestant chant while holding banners that read "I stand for you, and for those who are on the frontline", "Do you want it like in Russia", "Stop robbing our future" during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday. Alex Babenko/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Babenko/AP KYIV, Ukraine

Trump announces trade deal with Japan that lowers threatened tariff to 15%

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before their meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 18, 2025. Shuji Kajiyama/Pool AP hide caption toggle caption Shuji Kajiyama/Pool AP WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax