Sinaloa Governor Rocha Reports 10 Killed in the Past Week Related to Aftermath of "El Mayo" Kidnapping

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

During the "Semanera" conference on Monday, August 19, the Governor of Sinaloa was questioned about the homicides reported in Sinaloa during the past weekend, as there were reports about the death of Martín García Corrales, "El Tano," while days before the body of Juan Carlos "El Vampi" was also found, both linked to El Mayo Zambada. 

“Regarding the issue of the murders that occurred last week, yesterday [Sunday] there were two, on Saturday there were six and on Friday there were four. These six and these four do have to do with relations with organized crime organizations." Governor Ruben Rocha pointed out that there are a couple of additional deaths unrelated to organized crime beyond the 10 recorded by authorities and linked to drug trafficking by personnel from SEDENA who monitors murders linked to drug trafficking.

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Recent Killings in Sinaloa

In his own conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was also questioned about the murders recorded in Sinaloa over the weekend, although he spoke about a couple of people supposedly linked to Ismael Zambada, because when asked specifically, López Obrador said:

"The investigation is still ongoing. Two people were murdered [apparently linked to Zambada]. The investigation is also being carried out by the Attorney General's Office and we hope that the situation in Sinaloa does not get worse."

Juan Carlos "G" "El Vampi" was shot and killed on Wednesday, August 14. He was an alleged hitman working for Mayo Zambada and who in the past had been photographed in with several narcojuniors of the Sinaloa Cartel including El Vicentillo, El Cheyo Ántrax, El Mayito Gordo, Pancho Arce, El Chango and El Güero Bastidas.

Along with Juan Carlos, Ivan "El Tocino" Onofre, a 40 years old originally from Badiraguato, was also murdered. The two men were returning from the funeral of a relative when they were killed.

On August 15, only one homicide occurred in Sinaloa, however, a day later there were 4 more homicides; 3 of them were found with signs of torture and gunshot wounds in the municipality of Elota.

Martin García Corrales was found dead alongside two others on the morning of August 17th after being tortured. The bodies of the victims were found on a dirt road leading to the community of Aguaje; one had his hands tied behind his back and the other two had their faces covered with tape.

Martin worked under his brother, a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel named Leobardo Garcia Corrales. Don Leoba was described by the US government as a key operator for Ivan and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, who liked to brag about his closeness with the leaders of Los Chapitos. The current whereabouts or status of Leobardo Garcia Corrales are unknown as are the identities of the other two men found with Martin.

A fourth person was found with his face covered and his hands and feet tied next to a path near the Culiacán River, a few meters from where the local Congress headquarters is located, he also had suffered gunshot wounds.

Later that day, the lifeless bodies of two more men shot to death were found near a stream located in the Montesierra neighborhood, in the northern section of Culiacán. Police reports indicate that the victims' hands were tied and half-covered with stones.

Two more victims were also reported who were shot on August 18th; the first one in the Las Quintas subdivision, in Culiacán named José Carlos "N" a 21 year old.

The second attack occurred on Cerro del Toro Street, in the Cañadas neighborhood, when armed men shot at a Toyota Tacoma truck and then fled. The truck had around 30 bullet holes and inside was a man of approximately 30 to 40 years of age and had at least 10 gunshot wounds to his body and head.

A likely unrelated murder includes that of a 26-year old American tourist who was killed in Mazatlan also occurred on Sunday, August 18, following an argument on a beach, his 20-year old sister, also from California was injured.

"El Mayo" Linked Murders Before July 25

In the weeks and days leading up til the July 25 kidnapping and subsequent US arrest of "El Mayo" Zambada, several killings in Culiacan took place of long time members of the Mayo/Zambada faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. It is not currently known if these were related in anyway to the plan to set up Mayo or internal killings as part of normal cartel business.

Eliseo "Cheyo Antrax" Imperial Castro was shot and killed while driving his Chevrolet Canyon truck on May 30

Martin Elenes Aruejo was shot and killed on Thursday July 11, on Obregón Ave. while traveling in a Ford Lobo pickup truck. The 24-year old was being shot at by armed gunmen, he drove his truck into a shopping mall parking lot where he got out and was finished off by the gunmen.

Elenes was a member of the group 'Los Omegas' and 'Los Rusos', the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel at the service of 'Mayo', for at least two years. Martín Elenes Araujo appears on the first list below “El Omega”, which includes the bosses of the plaza and distributors; while another lower group is identified for being dedicated to the sale of drugs at retail and contract killings.

 

Rafael “El Peinadito” Lazcano Rosales was killed on June 4 at his father's car dealership. An Audi parked in front of the Mega Autos El Peinado business, south of the city of Culiacán, several men got out and entered the offices of Rafael Lazcano Rosales, better known as "El Peinadito," seconds later they were heard arguing and a man ran out, his attackers caught up with him and shot him on the sidewalk of Calzada Heroico Colegio Militar. 

Authorities confirmed that the victim was "El Peinadito," a social media car influencer with an alleged friendship with "El Chino Ántrax."

Finally, there is Hector Melesio Cuen Ojeda, although he was killed on the same day that El Mayo Zambada was captured. A letter attributed to the latter implicates Cuen in the meeting that resulted in the kidnapping and US arrest of El Mayo. In the letter from the Sinaloa Cartel drug boss, he claims Hector Cuen was killed at the meeting, not during the attempted carjacking at a gas station that evening as the Sinaloa prosecutor alleges it occurred based on the testimony of Fausto Corrales who drove the body of Hector Cuen to the hospital.

Still missing are the two men named in "El Mayo's" letter who were part of his protection that day. The two include José Rosario Heras López who has been Sinaloa municipal police officer for 24 years. 

Missing as well is Rodolfo Chaidez Valdez, a former police officer turned 'long time member of my security team' according to "El Mayo."

Sinaloa’s Attorney General recently resigned over poor investigations into the kidnapping events and death of Hector Cuen.

Will There Be War in Culiacan?

Anabel Hernández released the audio of an alleged conversation between hitmen from the Sinaloa Cartel who claim that Ismael "El Mayito Flaco" Zambada Sicairos  is looking for allies to avenge Los Chapitos' betrayal of his father.

Journalist José de Córdova also published in The Wall Street Journal that Los Chapitos have an army of 5,000 'soldiers' and that El Mayito Flaco was gathering money and weapons for a coming war.

Jesus Lemus points out that the Zambada Garcia family did not have the money to face an internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel ; criminal sources from Jose de Cordova confirmed that both factions are recruiting weapons and 'soldiers' for the coming war.

Academic and researcher Edgardo Buscaglia told this media that it is possible that due to the size of the Sinaloa Cartel's criminal structure, we may already be in the midst of "surgical violence to eliminate the members who are hindering Los Chapitos."

It is not clear why El Mayito Flaco has not reacted directly to Los Chapitos’ alleged betrayal. However, sources who spoke to InSight Crime believe it could be an attempt to keep a low profile and avoid attracting government attention, or because he does not yet have the resources to take on the Chapitos, who have amassed a large number of gunmen in their ranks over the years.

Regardless of the reason, the dividing lines between the two factions — historically linked by ties of marriage and close friendship known as compadrazgo — are becoming more pronounced, according to sources. This has turned “border” communities, such as La Loma, into points of high tension.

“There are no words for what the Chapitos did,” said one methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficker in a town outside Culiacán, also close to the dividing line, who spoke to InSight Crime on condition of anonymity. “Of course a lot of us are angry.”

The divisions could even be replicated in the prison system. One person who worked independently in fentanyl production in Sinaloa and is currently held in Aguaruto Prison in Culiacán told InSight Crime that choosing sides between the two criminal groups has become more important for those behind bars.

“There’s a lot of fear and panic with the new rules that [El Mayito Flaco] might put in place,” he said.

Meanwhile, some of those working in the lower echelons of the organization are adapting and remaining particularly vigilant, like the punteros of La Loma.

For some, these measures have been drastic. One man who oversees several clandestine laboratories and has worked with both the Chapitos and the Mayiza, spoke to InSight Crime on condition of anonymity and said the current situation forced him to leave Sinaloa indefinitely.

“Right now I can’t go back. I have to wait for things to stabilize,” he said during a telephone interview. His main concern is that he has collaborated closely with both sides, which puts him in a delicate situation should a war break out.

The methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficker on the outskirts of Culiacán added that he also knows several people who have left Sinaloa for similar reasons.

Mayo Zambada himself reportedly called for peace to be maintained in Sinaloa and for violent reactions to be avoided in a letter published by his lawyer. “We have been down that road in the past and we all lost out,” the letter, originally published in English, said.

Governor's Call for Peace

During his weekly press conference, he indicated that everyone, including the very generators of violence, should be asked not to affect the tranquility of the people of Sinaloa.

Given the possibility of an escalation of violence in Sinaloa following the capture of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada in the United States, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya called for peace. He said that the call for peace in Sinaloa is for everyone without distinction.

He said that authorities at all three levels of government in Sinaloa are working to ensure the safety of families. Rocha Moya also said that people know how to take care of themselves, so he asks people of peace to do so. He reiterated his call to groups that generate violence in Sinaloa not to carry out any aggressive actions, because they affect society and the people.

President López Obrador hoped that the situation in Sinaloa would not worsen further. "This does not mean that there have been no homicides, but there has been no confrontation between groups. This is not the case in Guanajuato or what has recently happened in Chiapas or Zacatecas. This has not happened in Sinaloa. We hope that it does not happen any further. We call for peace to be maintained in Sinaloa, for the people of Sinaloa to be considered."

And on August 2, the army killed six people during an alleged confrontation in La Loma. At least one of them reportedly had no links to organized crime and worked in the corn fields nearby, his family told InSight Crime.

US Agreements With Los Chapitos

In response to reports that Sinaloa Cartel operators are negotiating their surrender to the United States to obtain a favorable ruling, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he agreed with this practice, noting that each country has its own procedures.

“It is a practice that the United States government has, they negotiate with defendants, who are under investigation, or are already detained before being sentenced, to obtain resources or information, more information, they are called protected witnesses, it is a practice that the US government has and in this case it is not strange,” the president stressed at the morning press conference this Monday.

He added that the US government itself announced that they had been maintaining relations for an agreement with Joaquín Guzmán López, which was what they reported when Ismael Zambada was arrested.

Hector Cuen's Son Goes On Trial

After postponing the initial hearing 12 times and evading an arrest warrant, the former director of Goods and Supplies of the UAS, Héctor Melesio Cuen Díaz, was brought to trial for alleged payments to a restaurant owned by his family with university funds.

This is the fourth criminal case facing the son of Héctor Melesio Cuen Ojeda, as he is also involved in the multimillion-dollar purchases of beef and chicken, tortillas and the contracting of rehabilitation works without bidding, and three other proceedings are pending.

Cuen Díaz was summoned for the first time for illegal negotiations in October 2023, but the hearing could not be held until last week, because it was postponed with arguments that he was sick or changing lawyers.

In June of this year, a judge issued an arrest warrant for him to be brought to court by force and he has been a fugitive ever since. Last week, the former UAS official voluntarily appeared at the Central Region Criminal Justice Center with a suspension to avoid arrest and requested to hold the initial hearing.

Former Tabasco Governor Alleges Cartel Corruption

Former Tabasco Governor Manuel Andrade Díaz said that during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, ties have been formed with the Sinaloa Cartel, which is why he accused the current government of “smelling of corruption and narco-complicity.”

"How much of an undercurrent is there behind the problem that the López Obrador government has with the delivery of Mayo Zambada and his letter? Every day that passes, they do more stupid things and risk everything to avoid what is obvious, the complicity and association they had with the Sinaloa Cartel," said the former governor of Tabasco.

The former Tabasco governor pointed out that these links can be seen reflected in the statements made by the Sinaloa governor himself. In September 2021 (when he was governor-elect), Rocha Moya indicated in an interview with Salvador García Soto that the “approval” of the drug traffickers was needed to govern Sinaloa.

Andrade Díaz also said that it is not credible that Rocha Moya traveled with his family to the United States on the same day that Hector Melesio Cuen was murdered and 'El Mayo' Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez were arrested.

On the morning of August 20, three legislators from the National Action Party (PAN) filed a criminal complaint against the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya , and former prosecutor Sara Bruna Quiñónez, arising from irregularities in the investigations into the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda and the arrest of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada.

Sources Quadrin Sinaloa, Infobae, Infobae, Infobae, Borderland Beat, Riodoce, Riodoce, Infobae, Riodoce, El Financiero, InSight Crime

Categories: El Mayo, Ruben Rocha Moya, sinaloa cartel