Following the murder of former US soldier Nicholas Douglas at an organised crime checkpoint on a highway in Sonora, the governor of the state, Alfonso Durazo, and the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, agreed to create “safe corridors”, that is, stretches free of criminal cells.
The pilot program will be the highway that goes from Sonoyta (a municipality bordering Arizona) to Puerto Peñasco, a tourist destination that Nicholas wanted to go to with his girlfriend and mother-in-law.
It should be noted that for ignoring the signs of the hitmen on the Caborca-Altar stretch, the foreigner from Tucson was pursued and intercepted at a gas station, at which time a vehicle blocked his way to execute him.
This measure, which was agreed upon by both governors to contain organised crime operating in northern Sonora (border), was made public in the presence of the US ambassador at a press conference in Hermosillo.
Durazo said that there are already several initiatives to guarantee safe corridors, as he attributed the insecurity problems that occur in Sonora to the “criminal activity of organizations that are characterized by their transnational level.”
For this reason, the state leader emphasized the need for cooperation between the two countries, as he explained that it is the only way to stop the Mexican cartels, since their influence is international.
It was striking among the press present that Democrat Katie Hobbs did not comment on the murdered ex-marine; it should be remembered that on October 22, Republican J. D. Vance demanded justice for the murder of Douglas, statements that come in the middle of the presidential campaign in the United States.
On October 21, the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sonora (FGJES) reported that, due to investigations being carried out in Caborca for the murder of the foreigner, a Black Hawk helicopter neutralized four shooters in the same area, who were already engaged in a confrontation with the Mexican Army.
So far, neither the delegation of the Attorney General’s Office in Sonora nor the state government have made progress in the investigation.
Which cartels operate in Sonora?
Northern Sonora is the scene of a territorial dispute between five organized crime groups: Los Salazar, El Cártel de Caborca, two cells of Los Chapitos and one of Los Mayitos, the latter at war since the capture of drug trafficker ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
In 2024, in the face of rising violence, the governor of Sonora declared single commands in San Luis Río Colorado, Huatabampo, Benito Juárez and Sonoyta, a measure that removes responsibility for security from municipal forces and transfers it to the State Police or the Mexican Army.
Currently, the municipal police forces of the aforementioned municipalities are undergoing confidence and capacity tests, some have been expelled and others reinstated, as in the recent case of the return of 120 elements in San Luis Río Colorado.
Source: elfinanciero
