The Sinaloa Cartel is fragmented. On the one hand, the La Mayiza faction seeks to gain ground with extreme violence, while Los Chapitos, over time, have adopted a business model to continue their criminal activities at an international level, states an intelligence report prepared by the Federal Government’s Security Cabinet.
“The evolution of the behavior of El Chapo Guzmán’s minor children has been observed, who show a more business vision, using companies for money laundering and the boom in urban development in Mazatlán for investments with illicit purposes,” details the document to which El Sol de México had access.
This new modus operandi is one of the operational characteristics of this faction, which is managed with independent, dispersed and decentralized cells. Despite the autonomy, they all maintain “the same loyalty.”
According to the report, the violence between the two factions is centered in five municipalities of Sinaloa: Culiacán, Mazatlán, Ahome, Guasave and El Fuerte, and rural areas of El Rosario and San Ignacio.
Culiacán and Mazatlán are the main centers of operation of Los Chapitos, a faction commanded by the sons of El Chapo Guzmán, while Ahome, Guasave, El Fuerte and the most rural areas of the state are areas of influence of La Mayiza, led by Ismael Zambada Siqueiros, El Mayito Flaco, son of El Mayo Zambada.
La Chapiza, says the report, operates through kidnappings of members of rival factions to maintain control of drug trafficking routes, in addition to the use of extreme violence, the document indicates. This, in order to continue with its traditional drug trafficking activities.
In Mazatlán, the intelligence report indicates, Los Chapitos have extended their operational arms to do business at the corporate level by taking advantage of the real estate boom in the tourist area to invest for illicit purposes.
The intelligence study prepared by the Navy reveals that La Mayiza has positioned itself as the most violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. With the use of “shock forces” they have carried out executions and attacks on security forces in the area.
Even the name of Ismael Zambada Siqueiros is linked to multiple “high-profile violent incidents” during 2023 and so far in 2024, the report reveals.
La Mayiza concentrates its operations in rural areas of Sinaloa such as Guasave, El Fuerte or Ahome, where they maintain a structure of mobile and small cells: “which allows them greater maneuverability and less vulnerability to federal operations.”
This cell is mainly dedicated to the production of the synthetic drug fentanyl, and federal authorities identify El Mayito Flaco as “one of the main people responsible for the increase in fentanyl in Sinaloa.”
Zambada Siqueiros’ profile gained relevance in national security after being identified as the main successor of his father, El Mayo. This character is linked to the use of aggressive tactics and commandos to fight in key areas for drug trafficking, and is also accused of using extreme violence against his rivals and the authorities.
This use of violence, the report warns, would have skyrocketed after the arrest of his father, El Mayo, who is presumed to have been betrayed by Los Chapitos to take him by force to the United States, where he was captured on July 25.
Source: elsoldemexico
