The governor of Sinaloa claims that all is well in his state, while the ongoing turf war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has propelled his state to lead the nation in murders. That same politician is the one who had been singled out by political rivals as having had a close relation with Sinaloa Cartel leaders and having been caught in the middle as the two main factions went to war last year.
In a series of public events this week, Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya claimed that government security forces have been working to curb most crime in the state, but admitted that homicides remain a serious concern.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
The politician asked the public to trust in government institutions that they were working to resolve their concerns. When asked about cartel violence in the region, Rocha Moya evaded the questions and said that the office of the state’s security spokesman was the one that would provide information on crimes, not him.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
Despite Rocha Moya’s efforts to downplay the violence, his state has been ground zero for a fierce turf war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Despite undercounting and manipulating crime statistics, the most recent statistics published by Mexico’s government show Sinaloa as the state with the most murders.
For the month of June, Sinaloa reported 207 murders, followed by Guanajuato with 171 and Baja California with 162.
Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles
As Breitbart Texas reported, the turf war within the Sinaloa Cartel began last Summer when the leaders of the Chapitos faction called for a meeting with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The Chapitos are the four sons of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. It was during that meeting that Los Chapitos captured Zambada and flew him to Texas, where U.S. authorities were waiting for him.
This perceived betrayal set off a war between the sons of El Chapo and the sons of El Mayo that has led to hundreds of murders and thousands of abductions, where victims have never been seen again and are believed to have been killed; however, Mexico’s government only counts those cases as missing persons.
Multiple news outlets in Mexico and political opponents have revealed that Rocha Moya himself was supposed to have been at the meeting where Los Chapitos captured Zambada. Mexico’s former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador publicly defended Rocha Moya, claiming that he had been on a trip out of the country at the time of El Mayo’s capture.
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 Iortiz@breitbart.com.
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 bdarby@breitbart.com.
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