Americans, Venezuelans, Guatemalans, and French citizens, as well as people from other states, have been arrested during clashes and operations in Culiacán and Navolato.
Foreigners from the United States, France, Venezuela, and Guatemala have arrived in the state, where they have been arrested as members of cells belonging to the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, which have been waging a war for territorial control since last September.
The dispute between the Mayos and Chapos has also drawn in people from Jalisco, Durango, Michoacán, Sonora, and Baja California, who have participated in clashes or been captured in coordinated operations both in the city and in rural areas of Culiacán and Navolato.
On November 19, 14 men were arrested at a hotel in Navolato; among them were two Guatemalans and one Venezuelan. Authorities seized 13 rifles, a machine gun, 15 magazines, and more than 420 rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
In Navolato, Sinaloa Cartel cells have intensified their clashes, murders, and bomb attacks against businesses. One bomb even exploded at a party, leading to frequent school closures, especially in the Villa Juárez district.
In an operation carried out last Friday morning in the Portalegre area north of Culiacán, members of the Special Operations Group (GOES) of the State Preventive Police and the National Guard captured 10 suspected hitmen. Unofficial reports indicated that some of those arrested were from Jalisco, Mexicali, and Michoacán.
The detainees were found outside a residence next to a black vehicle, carrying nine rifles, a machine gun, a pistol, 1,225 rounds of ammunition, and 33 magazines, as well as tactical gear, eight bulletproof vests, seven tactical helmets, and seven buckets of tire spikes.
On Saturday, November 15, cells of the Sinaloa Cartel clashed in the town of El Guasimal, part of the Imala district in Culiacán. A land and air operation was launched in the area, resulting in the arrest of nine men, one of whom was identified as Ogelian Fabio “N,” a French national.
Two vehicles with their doors open were found in the area, containing the bodies of four men shot to death. Another vehicle was found on a dirt road. The detainees were found in possession of two machine guns, 21 rifles, more than 3,350 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, 15 bulletproof vests, and three vehicles, two of which had improvised armor plating.
On November 5, in Culiacán, Daniel Silvestre Manjarrez, alias “El Dany,” a U.S. citizen, was arrested at a residence in the Infonavit Humaya neighborhood. He was wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and was the subject of an FBI Interpol Red Notice.
