"Twenty dead found in Sinaloa amid escalating cartel violence"

Mexican officials have discovered 20 bodies in Sinaloa, a region heavily affected by conflicts between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, where violence has escalated sharply.

The state prosecutor’s office reported on Monday that four of the victims had been decapitated, their bodies left hanging from a bridge near Culiacán, the state capital. Another 16 bodies, including one that was also decapitated, were found inside a van parked below the bridge. A bag containing the severed heads was recovered at the scene.

This grim discovery comes at the end of a particularly violent month in the ongoing clash between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most dominant drug-trafficking groups. There are increasing indications that its primary rival, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, has become involved in the conflict.

The conflict began on 9 September 2024, less than two months after two of Mexico’s most influential crime figures were arrested in El Paso, Texas.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was detained along with one of Guzmán’s sons following the landing of a small plane in the U.S. El Mayo accused Guzmán’s son of betraying him and facilitating his capture. Now, a faction led by El Mayo’s son is fighting another led by El Chapo’s two sons, who remain at large in Mexico.

Despite deploying thousands of soldiers, the Mexican government has struggled to reduce the bloodshed. The past two months have been the deadliest so far, with nearly 3,000 people killed or missing in the conflict.

A message found near the bodies beneath the bridge suggested the attackers were linked to La Mayiza, the faction led by El Mayo’s son.

Facing significant losses, El Chapo’s sons, known as Los Chapitos, have allegedly formed an alliance with their former rivals, the Jalisco cartel. Last month, a U.S. law enforcement report highlighted concerns over this possible collaboration.

Such a partnership could alter the war’s outcome, which had appeared to slow before this escalation. It might also reshape the criminal operations of both groups, which extend beyond Mexico to other parts of the world.

U.S. authorities have previously identified Los Chapitos as central figures in the fentanyl trade, a powerful synthetic opioid linked to numerous overdose deaths in recent years.

Amid pressure from U.S. authorities, Mexican officials have increased efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking, particularly in Sinaloa, with more raids, arrests, and drug seizures.

Data from U.S. border agencies shows that fentanyl seizures at the Mexican border have dropped by nearly 30% this year compared to last.