The Sinaloa Cartel’s internal war has entered a phase of purges and defections. Authorities detected since mid-year that a series of operatives, allegedly linked to Los Chapitos, have “turned over” their flag and aligned themselves with Los Mayitos, led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as El Mayito Flaco.
The dispute between the two groups has already lasted 13 months, with blockades, ambushes, massacres, and kidnappings in various municipalities of Sinaloa.
Added to this is what federal sources confirmed: the wave of betrayals has been growing since May. Since then, it has been more common to find narcomantas alluding to “the turned over,” as well as videos on social media with testimonies of these changes of allegiance.
In May, when Los Chapitos and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel shared their collaboration on social media, they used their message to threaten “all those who have been turned over,” revealing that betrayals were already a cause for concern.
In June, one of the most serious betrayals occurred within the Chapiza network. Juan Carlos Bernal Zazueta, alias El 11, who was its main operator in Navolato, turned his back and joined the La Mayiza faction with his entire criminal cell.
Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch acknowledged before senators that this betrayal was one of the factors that destabilized Sinaloa, generating a surge in violence that ended a five-month downward trend in intentional homicides.
But it wasn’t the last blow suffered by Los Chapitos. In July, the Guzmán family aired more betrayals in a “narco-banner” hung on a vehicular bridge. There they warn: “Upside down, your end is near.” And they name Saúl Páez López.
He is a cousin of Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López, born on January 31, 1994. According to the U.S. State Department, Páez López and his brother, Ricardo, coordinated clandestine laboratories, were part of the chemical precursor supply chain, and supervised the network of tunnels through which the cartel trafficked drugs to the United States.
