An intense wave of violence swept through Sinaloa this Tuesday, March 31, leaving four police commanders and a municipal trustee from Tepuche dead—shot to death in two separate incidents—and marking a significant surge in criminal activity.
The ongoing feud between the “Los Chapitos” and “Los Mayos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel—which has persisted for just over a year and a half since September 2024—showed a marked escalation this Tuesday with a direct attack on the vehicle carrying the Deputy Director of the Escuinapa Municipal Police, Esteban Gutiérrez Mazariegos, along with three uniformed officers.
The incident occurred at 10:30 a.m., as the deputy director was traveling along the road leading to the community of Tecualilla and was intercepted by a group of armed individuals.
The deputy director’s vehicle was being escorted by a second official patrol unit; both vehicles came under heavy gunfire, though only one managed to escape—carrying a single officer who had been critically wounded.
