Mexican military forces clashed with several gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel, killing 11 of them. The shootout came as a result of a series of raids in a luxurious suburb of Culiacan, where forces arrested the daughter of jailed cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Hours later, Mexican authorities released the woman despite U.S. authorities having identified her in the past as a money laundering operator for the cartel.
The raids took place this week in the El Alamo suburb of Culiacan, where military forces raided various properties, including a luxurious ranch house, where they arrested Moniza Zambada Niebla (El Mayo’s daughter), her husband, and took custody of their young daughter (granddaughter of El Mayo).
According to information released by Mexico’s Navy, authorities released Zambada Niebla, claiming that she “is not related to criminal activities” and has no warrants filed against her. However, in 2007, the U.S. Department of the Treasury identified Zambada Niebla as a key family member in the Zambada financial network, which used various companies to launder the proceeds of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Credit: U.S. Department of the Treasury
In the aftermath of the raids, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen clashed with Mexican military forces, setting off a series of fierce firefights where the Mexican Navy confirmed killing 11 gunmen. Authorities also arrested 39-year-old Omar Oswaldo “N,” a gunman with the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
As Breitbart Texas reported, at one point, the Sinaloa Cartel was the most powerful criminal organization in Mexico. The cartel fell into a bloody turf war following the arrest of top leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The high-profile arrest came after the leaders of the faction known as Los Chapitos (named after jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman) kidnapped Zambada and flew him into Texas to the waiting hands of U.S. federal agents. The perceived betrayal sparked a fierce war between El Chapo’s sons and El Mayo’s family that continues to this day.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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