The bodyguard of the son of Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya was reportedly abducted in the state, which has been marked by a bloody turf war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The incident took place shortly after Rocha Moya claimed that security was improving in the state and called on the population to live their lives normally.
According to Infobae, law enforcement officials found the agent and engaged in a gunfight with alleged captors, which ended with one death and three injuries, including the abducted security agent.
Just two weeks ago, Rocha Moya had to announced the cancellation of public events tied to Mexico‘s Independence Day citing a sharp rise in violence and homicides stemming from ongoing turf wars between the criminal groups Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.
For more than a year, Sinaloa has been at the center of a violent conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 lives. Since the unexpected arrest and extradition of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July 2024, followed by the outbreak of violence that September, homicides in the region have increased by more than 400 percent, according to a CNN analysis.
Similarly, according to data from the Mexican news outlet Noroeste, from Sept. 9, 2024, to date, Sinaloa has reported 2,011 homicides, averaging 5.4 per day. The state has also recorded a historic number of disappearances, with 1,979 people reportedly kidnapped during the same period.
Originally published on Latin Times
