The governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, reported that some people in Culiacán were deprived of their liberty after a list of possible kidnapping victims was found amid the armed disputes between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The governor highlighted that an intelligence operation has begun with federal authorities to locate the missing.
In a context of a security downturn in Sinaloa, the results of the National Urban Public Security Survey (ENSU) revealed that the perception of insecurity in the Sinaloan capital increased from 44.7 to 55.7 percent between June and September. Rocha attributed this increase to clashes between cartel factions and mentioned that the capture of 'El Mayo' Zambada unleashed a wave of violence in the region.
Detailing the confrontations, more than 172 homicides and 200 disappearances were reported in Culiacán over the past six weeks due to disputes between 'Los Chapitos' and 'Los Mayos', groups of the Sinaloa Cartel. The strategic disappearances that started on September 9 have been a constant concern for state and federal authorities.
During a press conference, Rocha revealed that the Mexican army found the list of possible victims last weekend and are verifying the status of the mentioned individuals. However, he expressed his fear that the advances in the search may be affected by recent armed confrontations.
In another case, relatives of Sergio Cárdenas Hernández, a delivery man for the newspaper El Debate who disappeared on October 19, requested the governor to intensify search operations. Cárdenas was kidnapped by an armed group in Culiacán, two days after an attack on El Debate's offices in the city.
