Six cartel gunmen died in a shootout near the beach tourist hotspot of Ensenada, Baja California. The shootout comes just days after two cartel banners addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel warned that Sinaloa Cartel gunmen would be targeting U.S. citizens.
The shootout took place on Monday early morning along the highway that connects Ensenada with San Quintin, Baja California. According to Mexico’s Semanario Zeta, locals called 911 after hearing sounds of gunfire along the highway. By the time authorities arrived, they found a white Chevrolet pickup that numerous gunshots had struck. As officers approached the vehicle, they found the bullet-riddled bodies of four men inside.
On the side of the road, authorities found another vehicle that had been set on fire, and inside, they found two other bodies.
The shooting comes at a time when rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been waging a fierce turf war that has spread to various Mexican states. As Breitbart Texas reported, the turf war is tied to the 2024 arrest of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada at the hands of the Chapitos faction of the same cartel. The Chapitos had lured El Mayo to a meeting in Sinaloa only to capture him, load him on a plane, and fly him north to the waiting hands of U.S. authorities. That arrest led to a fierce turf war between the two factions, which has lasted for over a year and has led to thousands of murders and forced disappearances throughout Mexico.
The shootout in Baja California comes just days after Breitbart Texas reported that cartel gunmen left two banners threatening U.S. FBI Director Kash Patel, claiming that they would begin targeting U.S. citizens in response to raids and seizures done by Mexican authorities under pressure from the Trump administration.
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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