As violence escalates and innocent lives are lost, Sinaloa residents reflect on their complicated relationship with the powerful narcos who once portrayed themselves as generous bandits.
Culiacán, Mexico – The streets of this city, once filled with laughter and festive cheer during Christmas celebrations, now lie empty and silent at night. The festive atmosphere has been replaced by fear and uncertainty, as a bloody war between rival factions of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel rages on.
The conflict, which began four months ago, has claimed over 1,000 lives or left them missing. The violence was triggered by the arrest of two powerful crime bosses, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons, in El Paso, Texas.
As the war intensifies, residents are reevaluating their relationship with the narcos who once ruled this city. They recall a time when figures like El Chapo and El Mayo were seen as generous bandits, providing handouts and services to the community while leaving innocent lives out of it.
However, that narrative has been shattered by the recent violence and the involvement of the new generation of narcos, who grew up rich and are willing to do whatever it takes to win their war. On October 17, 2019, Ovidio Guzmán’s arrest sparked a 24-hour siege on the city, resulting in three civilian deaths.
“The unwritten pact to not touch the citizenry was shattered,” said Miguel Calderón, coordinator of the State Council on Public Security, an NGO.
Residents along the train tracks, where hundreds of displaced families live in makeshift cabins, share stories of how their lives have changed. A man who asked to remain anonymous recalled hearing his parents and grandparents speak about the old guard with respect.
“El Chapo and El Mayo used to say that women and children, innocent people – they’re not to be touched,” he said. “But now they’re forcibly recruiting people who don’t even know how to use a gun, even kids.”
In another neighborhood, where a block was cordoned off as soldiers prepared to raid a safe house, mothers spoke about the sons of friends and relatives who had turned up dead.
“There’s no such thing as a good narco,” one woman said. “How can you give me a handout when you’re poisoning my child?”
The residents’ sentiment is clear: they want an end to the violence and for the narcos to leave them in peace. Calderón echoed this demand, stating that today he senses a collective anger and frustration with the public enemy No 1 being crime.
The new generation of narcos has not given up on their propaganda efforts, though, dropping pamphlets and handing out business cards with a number, claiming they will protect citizens from extortion.
However, for many in Sinaloa, this is just another marketing ploy to gain control over the community. As one resident said, “There’s no way I’m actually going to call the number.”
Source: The Guardian
