On the Sonora highway, Nicholas Douglas, a 30-year-old resident of Tucson, Arizona, was shot and killed by a group of armed individuals after failing to stop at a drug cartel checkpoint. The foreigner was heading with his girlfriend and mother-in-law to the beaches of Puerto Peñasco for a vacation when the tragic incident occurred. The Municipal Police of Caborca acted as first responders and indicated that a car blocked the Americans' path, at which point they attacked Douglas. So far, there have been no reports of whether the other occupants of the vehicle were injured.
"The armed attack was likely due to the car having Arizona plates, which are used by organized crime vehicles in the region. Upon passing that road, the shooters believed they were firing at a rival group," local authorities unofficially mentioned to El Financiero. The Attorney General's Office of the State of Sonora confirmed Douglas's death, revealing more details about the incident.
Red Cross paramedics arrived on the scene to assist the injured, but unfortunately, he had already passed away. After the attack, a government-level security operation was initiated to capture those responsible for the crime.
In another recent incident in Sonora, a truck carrying immigrants was attacked at the border with Arizona, resulting in the death of a minor and several adults injured. Victor Hugo Enríquez, Secretary of Public Security for the state, advised the population to avoid traveling at night on the northern roads and to use common sense.
Northern Sonora is immersed in a struggle between five organized crime groups vying for control of arms and drug trafficking at the Arizona border, a situation that has intensified after this year's municipal elections. The groups involved are Los Salazar, the Caborca Cartel, Los Deltas, and Los Pelones, affiliated with Los Chapitos in the region, as well as Los Rusos, a cell of Los Mayitos.
