Mexico drug cartel stronghold Sinaloa rocked by shootings, arson

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.

There had been fears that wider violence might break out in Sinaloa following the recent detentions of top Sinaloa drug lords.

In July, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of El Chapo, apparently kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada – an older kingpin from a rival faction of the cartel – forcing him onto the plane and flying him north.

The younger Guzman had reportedly told Zambada they were going to scope out real estate in the country’s north, but instead flew him to the United States.

Guzman Lopez had apparently planned to turn himself in, and took the elder Zambada along for reasons that are not known. Both were detained in El Paso, Texas.

Mexican authorities believe the abduction of Zambada may have been linked to the arrest of Ovidio Guzman, another of El Chapo’s sons, who was detained in January 2023 before being extradited to the US.

Mexico’s state prosecutor’s office on Thursday urged US authorities to “urgently” clarify the legal status and whereabouts of Ovidio Guzman.

It said in a statement that he was taken out of US prison on July 23, two days before the arrest of his brother and Zambada.

The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said on July 26 that Ovidio Guzman remained in US custody without elaborating on his whereabouts.

Experts including former US Drug Enforcement Administration agent Mike Vigil suspect that Guzman Lopez gave up Zambada in exchange for benefits for himself and his brother Ovidio.

Zambada appeared in a Texas court this month in a wheelchair and pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder.

Guzman Lopez was transferred to Chicago where he denied drug trafficking charges. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison.

Only one of El Chapo’s sons accused of cartel links remains free – Ivan Archivaldo.

The US has offered a reward of $10m for information leading to his arrest.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies