The Narcomanda That Set Off the Alarm in Mexicali
This Sunday morning, Mexicali woke up to a disturbing scene that put Baja California’s security forces on alert. A banner containing direct death threats against a ministerial agent appeared hanging from a pedestrian bridge located at the intersection of Río Nuevo and the Independencia Causeway. The message was no coincidence: it explicitly referred to the protection the official allegedly provided to one of the warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel in the violent confrontation between the sons of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the descendants of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The public display of the message was not only a challenge to the authorities, but also a reminder that the internal war within Mexico’s most powerful cartel continues to have a direct impact on state institutions.
Armed Attacks in Ensenada
The discovery of the banner occurred just one day after armed commandos carried out attacks against the State Attorney General’s Office facilities in the port of Ensenada. The attack consisted of setting fire to official patrol cars parked at the agency’s complex, in an act of intimidation intended to send a clear message: organized crime does not stop.
The fire consumed the vehicles while neighbors used their cell phones to record the flames that lit up the night, becoming a snapshot of terror that quickly circulated on local social media.
The Discovery of the Body on the Highway to San Felipe
The violence did not end there. On Saturday night, around 9 p.m., a citizen report alerted police to a body abandoned in front of a tire shop located on the highway to San Felipe. The body of a man with gunshot wounds was found in the restroom area of the Aguilar tire shop.
The discovery reinforced the perception that the wave of violence is not a series of isolated incidents, but rather an escalating crime scene seeking to spread fear in every corner of Baja California.
The background: the Sinaloa Cartel’s struggle
The narco-banner in Mexicali, the attacks in Ensenada, and the discovery of the body in San Felipe all seem to be linked to the same background: the internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel. The factions led by the sons of El Mayo Zambada and the Guzmán López family compete not only for strategic drug trafficking territories but also for influence over local authorities.
These types of messages seek to undermine the credibility of institutions by targeting prosecutorial officials and launching accusations of patronage and favoritism toward one side or the other.
The authorities’ response
So far, police forces in Baja California have reinforced surveillance in the vicinity of the Attorney General’s offices, both in Mexicali and Ensenada. However, the escalation of violent incidents makes it clear that the challenge posed by organized crime is direct and growing.
The special operations seek not only to protect ministerial personnel but also to send a message that the State retains control. Despite this, the events of the last few hours demonstrate that the security strategy faces enormous challenges.
A state under tension
Baja California, and particularly its capital, Mexicali, is experiencing moments of extreme tension. The combination of public threats, armed attacks, and violent incidents is generating a climate of social uncertainty that adds to the already complex perception of insecurity in Mexico.
For many citizens, what happened this weekend reflects how the criminal dispute between cartels is transcending the underground and taking hold in the streets, bridges, and highways, disrupting daily life.
The challenge for the Attorney General’s Office and state authorities will be to demonstrate that they can confront not only the violence, but also the narrative of fear that organized crime seeks to impose with every banner, every attack, and every corpse.
Source: msn
