MEXICO CITY 

The Mexican government said Wednesday that a violent confrontation took place between the country’s armed forces and members of the Sinaloa Cartel in its stronghold of Culiacan.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said on social media that following an attack against Navy officers, nine people were arrested and one was killed during the shootout.

“While personnel from the Ministry of the Navy were conducting surveillance patrols in Sinaloa (state) to prevent crime in the area, they were attacked with gunfire by members of organized crime,” Harfuch wrote on the US social media company X’s platform.

After repelling the attack, officers seized high-caliber weapons, a grenade launcher, grenades and 89 explosive devices as well as vehicles and tactical equipment. Military personnel secured the area and continued patrol operations to maintain control of the territory.

The attack occurred in a small rural community called El Limoncito, a territory controlled by Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of former drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera.

Culiacan has become a war zone since the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia in July 2024. Since then, the Sinaloa Cartel has split into two factions: one controlled by El Chapo’s heirs and the other by El Mayo’s loyalists, known as “Los Mayos.”

The internal war within the largest cartel in the hemisphere has led to a dramatic increase in homicides, shootings and forced disappearances.

In 2025, authorities reported 1,654 homicides in the state, a 66% increase compared to the 993 killings recorded in 2024.

Sinaloa has also witnessed a sharp rise in forced disappearances, reaching 2,320 cases. To date, 1,445 people remain missing.

“The institutions of the Security Cabinet maintain a security operation in the area to protect the population. Operations are ongoing, and further updates will be provided,” Harfuch wrote.