Two Years On, the Sinaloa Cartel War Changes Shape | The InSight Take

Two years after Ismael Zambada Garcia, alias “El Mayo,” was handed over to US authorities in what was deemed a traitorous act by one faction against another, the war between the Chapitos and the Mayiza factions of the Sinaloa Cartel continues to roil the area. The conflict has implications for the criminal superstructure throughout the country.

InSight Crime’s Victoria Dittmar and co-director Steven Dudley were recently in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where they interviewed drug producers, residents, and local sources. They found a city where the war is less visible than it was but no less present.

In this episode of The InSight Take, managing editor Deborah Bonello talks to them about what that shift actually means for the two factions and for the people of Sinaloa. Below is a summary of their conversation.

SEE ALSO: Criminal Profiles of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Chapitos and Mayiza Factions.

What is happening in Culiacán right now?

• The visible signs of cartel presence such as lookouts, branded caps, and narcocorridos have largely disappeared from the city. But it is not clear if that is a permanent shift or just temporary until a new faction becomes dominant.
• The nature of the violence has changed, not stopped. Instead of the open shootouts of the war’s first phase, there are more targeted killings. Nonetheless, during their visit, there was a mass shooting at a local Chinese restaurant in the city center where the target appeared to be a local narcocorrido singer.
• Locals have changed their lives to steer clear of the fighting and not appear to be taking sides. Residents described running a daily security calculation before leaving home. Businesses close their doors early. Nightlife has waned but is sputtering back to life, slowly.

Who is winning the Sinaloa Cartel war?

• There appears to be one major winner: Fausto Isidro Meza, alias “Chapo Isidro.” He spent years out of the public eye before this conflict, and now he may emerge as the top dog.
• The fighting has shifted south toward Mazatlán and the Nayarit border. These routes may be worth more to these groups.
• The war, two years going, has been costly for all sides, and the factions may be getting desperate, looking for sources of revenue in predatory ways.

Is this the end of the Sinaloa Cartel?

• The Sinaloa Cartel is not done. It is more of a reconfiguration of its board of directors.
• This is the Sinaloa Cartel’s third factional war in the last 20 years. There will be others, but locals say the larger criminal structure is intact.