Culiacán, Mexico — A brutal internal war inside the Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacán into a conflict zone, with daily killings, kidnappings, and torture escalating since the arrest of former cartel leader Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
The violence intensified following the recent death in custody of rival drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (El Mencho), whose capture created a dangerous power gap across several regions.
Paramedics Working Under Fire
Paramedics Héctor Torres (53) and Julio César Vega (28) describe a city living in permanent fear:
- Call-outs have risen over 70% in the past year.
- Most victims are already dead when help arrives.
- Schools, hospitals and even funerals have been attacked.
- Emergency crews must wear 14kg Kevlar to avoid being shot in crossfire.
“We don’t know if attackers are still nearby,” Julio said. “Every response is a risk.”
A City Where Torture Messages Are Left in Public
Public spaces are becoming execution grounds.
Recent incidents include:
- Bodies dumped outside malls with faces flayed and eyes removed
- A 16-year-old boy, Emmanuel Alexander, shot dead beside his bicycle
- Three men kidnapped during a business shooting
- Dozens of “warning signs” left at crime scenes by rival factions
Bystanders frequently get caught in the crossfire as gangs fight street-by-street.
Families of the Missing Searching Alone
With the cartel war intensifying, disappearances are rising sharply.
Reynalda Pulido, whose son disappeared in 2020, leads Mothers Fighting Back, a group of women digging through fields with shovels and metal rods searching for mass graves.
She has helped recover:
- 250 bodies, and
- 30 people found alive
“A mother will search to the ends of the earth,” she said.
Inside a Fentanyl Operation
A cartel producer, known as “Román,” showed how fentanyl is prepared for the U.S. market:
- Each 1 kg package sells for $20,000–$29,000, depending on the city.
- Shipments are now sent as powder, not pills, to avoid detection.
- He claims production never stops, only slows when military raids intensify.
“As long as there are consumers, we will keep doing this,” he said.
Government Response
At a recent news briefing, Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum blamed cartel infighting for the surge in violence and said her government is working to protect civilians.
Across the border, US President Donald Trump has labelled major cartels terrorist organizations and warned of possible military action if fentanyl trafficking continues.
A City on Edge
During one final emergency call-out, paramedics Torres and Vega saved two bystanders wounded in a gunfight — their first living victims since November.
After removing their blood-soaked gloves, Héctor said quietly:
“The fear is everywhere, and the fear is constant.”