The bodies of six people were found Wednesday afternoon at the entrance to San Pedro, a town that geographically divides Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, from the city of Navolato. The discovery was confirmed by state public security authorities, who are suffering from a relentless wave of violence that began in September 2014 after the Sinaloa Cartel split. The bodies were hidden under a tarp in the back of a pickup truck that emitted a foul odor.
Authorities informed EL PAÍS that the vehicle, a Mitsubishi L200, had been reported stolen in the state. The truck was abandoned on the side of the Benito Juárez highway and positioned as if the driver were about to return.
The discovery occurred amidst a day filled with incidents in Sinaloa. The announcement came a couple of hours after the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection confirmed the arrest of nine suspected criminals in El Limoncito, a community north of Culiacán. The arrests were made during an operation that began with a chase between soldiers and a group of men. According to the official version, the men opened fire on the marines, who returned fire, killing one civilian.
The confrontation had barely been reported when news broke of a man murdered in La Palma, Navolato, and another in El Aguaje, Mazatlán. Both men died from gunshot wounds.
The situation in the state has escalated in recent days, especially in southern Sinaloa, a region where 10 miners from the Canadian company Vizla Silver disappeared. The bodies of five have been found in a clandestine grave in the municipality of Concordia.
