The Sinaloa Cartel is pressuring merchants to install security cameras in Culiacán in order to monitor the area and control the activities of rival groups. According to Óscar Sánchez, president of the Union of Merchants of Culiacán, criminal groups have forced some businesses to install or lend security cameras.
In an interview, Óscar Sánchez criticized the lack of action by the Sinaloa government in the face of threats from criminal groups, which exacerbates the violence in the region. Under pressure from the cartels, merchants feel in a delicate situation and have decided to remove cameras that point to the streets as a preventive measure.
Sánchez pointed out that he coordinated with business owners in Culiacán to remove cameras that could cause problems with organized crime, emphasizing that they only wish to continue working without getting involved in dangerous matters. This decision arose after a video circulated on social media showing the owner of a barbershop reporting that armed groups had installed cameras in her establishment and then another criminal cell demanded their removal under death threats.
The situation has generated concern among merchants, who seek to avoid conflicts with the criminal groups operating in Sinaloa. Although security remains a concern for the population, the lack of effective response from local authorities has led merchants to seek solutions on their own to protect themselves from violence in the region.
