In Chiapas, violence has escalated in recent months with a series of murders that have left a worrying toll in the municipalities of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Tapachula, Villa Comaltitlán, and Suchiate. The Sinaloa Cartel had maintained absolute control over the region, but things changed drastically after the assassination of Ramón Gilberto Rivera Estrada, known as 'El Junior', leader of the Sinaloan group in July 2021. This triggered a conflict with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Juan Manuel Valdovinos Mendoza, alias 'El Señor de los Caballos', sought to take the place of 'El Junior' in the Sinaloa Cartel, but Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada decided that Esteban Machado Meza would fill that position. This decision was not well received by 'El Señor de los Caballos', which led him to join the CJNG, along with a group known as 'Los Huistos', with the aim of reclaiming territory from the Sinaloa Cartel in Chiapas.
During a conference, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed the arrest of Jesús Esteban Machado Meza, alias 'El Güero Pulseras', one of the main operators of the Sinaloa Cartel in Chiapas and a key player in the organization's criminal activities in the region.
The operation that led to the capture of 'El Güero Pulseras' was carried out by elements of the National Intelligence Center, the Secretariat of Security, the Attorney General's Office, the Secretariat of National Defense, and the Secretariat of the Navy. A large quantity of drugs, firearms, vehicles, and ammunition were seized during the operation.
Despite the arrest of one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel in Chiapas, violence in the region has not decreased. Chiapas has become the scene of constant armed confrontations between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG, leading to an increase in violence rates in the state, with the year 2024 being one of the most violent in its history, marked by a considerable number of homicides recorded in October and a ruthless territorial struggle between criminal groups.
