Sonora: Violence Explodes in Empalme and Nogales As Residents Report of Shootouts and Arsons

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

The narco-war in Sonora continues to take a deadlier shift. Violence is almost a daily occurrence in communities like Empalme and Nogales. Earlier this week, shootouts and arsons were reported in these two municipalities.

Early Thursday morning in Empalme, a town of approximately 56,000 people, cartel members and elements of the National Guard (GN) clashed in a shootout. Sicarios proceeded to burn several vehicles and businesses. Residents and local media described the gunfights and fires as a "night of terror" for this southern Sonoran city.

Videos and photos circulated on social media depicted a scene of chaos. On Twitter, the Sonora State Police issued a statement confirming that four people had been arrested for the attacks. But investigators say many more people participated in the attacks and are currently at large.

After the shootout, residents in Empalme shared pictures of how criminals sacked several stores in neighborhoods like Kilometro 2, Bellavista, Ortiz Rubio, Libertad, Pesqueria, and Moderna in Empalme. Criminals stole cashier machines, convenience store products, and other belongings. They also destroyed the windows and doors.

Local media have been referring to Thursday's incident as Empalmazo, a play on words on Empalme and the suffix -azo (roughly translated in Spanish to "blow with fist or punch"). 

Empalme is among the five municipalities in Sonora that were selected for a 2019 pilot program that replaced police heads with military leaders in an effort to reduce violence in the region and combat police corruption. Security experts say that this approach has largely been ineffective since increased militarization has not reduced murders and disappearances.

In addition, Empalme has registered in recent months a large number of violent acts perpetrated mainly by organized crime groups that operates in the area. It is a particularly dangerous region due to the dispute between La Plaza and/or the Caborca Cartel ​​and regional cells of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Residents of Empalme record a burning vehicle 

In the northern municipality of Nogales, a shootout broke out between the Mexican Army and cartel members, later in the afternoon on Thursday. The clash took place in Nogales's downtown area.

In shared videos on social media, one can observe a Mexican Army patrol unit chasing a white GMC Yukon pickup. During the vehicle persecution, both sides reportedly exchanged shots. Near an intersection, the cartel members tried to maneuver to turn and return in the opposite direction from which they were escaping.

But in the actions, the driver lost control and hit a road wall/shoulder and crashed almost head-on into a small pick-up truck belonging to a carpenter, who was traveling with his four-year-old son. The white truck then hit another car, a Chevrolet Trax where another man was traveling with his daughter.

The videos show how the soldiers quickly surrounded the white vehicle and place the sicarios into custody. They also assisted the uninvolved civilians who were victims of the car chase.

During the shootout, four people were wounded: two bystanders and two gunmen. One of the gunmen was shot on the head and the other on his right shoulder blade. All of them were treated at the scene and then taken to the nearest hospital.

Users on social media claim that the gunmen were from a local Sinaloa Cartel cell.

The two cartel members arrested at the scene were identified as Jesus Alejandro 'N' and Jesus Alberto 'C', reportedly from the Sinaloa Cartel

Mexican Army elements surrounding the vehicle after cartel members lost control of their vehicle.

Sources for Empalme: Infobae; Sol de Hermosillo; Fronteras Desk; Tiempo; Radar Sonora; Tribuna (1); (2); (3)

Sources for Nogales: Linea Directa; Sol de Hermosillo; El Imparcial; Infobae; NarcoStudios 701 (Videos)