Sheinbaum pledges continued military support as Sinaloa’s cartel turf war shifts to Mazatlán

A day after pledging Sunday to keep federal security forces in Sinaloa “as long as necessary,” President Sheinbaum on Monday repeated her conviction that U.S. interference precipitated the explosion of violence and the ongoing cartel turf war plaguing the troubled state.

While in Culiacán, the Sinaloa state capital, on Sunday, Sheinbaum said Governor Graciela Domínguez can count on the complete support of the federal government, while also announcing that Cabinet officials will visit the state in the coming weeks.

“First and foremost, all federal forces … will remain here for as long as necessary,” she said. “We will not withdraw any element of the Army, the National Guard or the Navy; they will continue to support the governor and, above all, the people of Sinaloa.”

Sinaloa has been embroiled in a civil war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel for two years, becoming what El País newspaper has described as “the biggest political crisis of Sheinbaum’s term.” 

Domínguez has been in office less than a month after being appointed on Aug. 25 to replace Rubén Rocha, who was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors for alleged links to drug trafficking. 

Sinaloa’s economy is facing a historic downturn, driven by severe security challenges and cartel-related violence, leading to a contraction of 4.5% in this year’s first quarter.

On Sunday, Sheinbaum blamed foreign interference for the current situation and then doubled down on that claim during her daily press conference on Monday.

“We don’t want interference from any foreign government in our territory,” she said on Sunday. “Interference generates violence, whereas cooperation for development generates peace.”

Sheinbaum elaborated further on Monday when asked at her regular morning press conference about her comments, saying U.S. involvement in the capture of a cartel leader in July 2024 sparked the violence.

“Sinaloa is a demonstration that (U.S.) interference caused the situation we have today,” she said. 

Sheinbaum said that before the U.S. “extraction” of drug kingpin Ismael Zambada, the murder rate in Sinaloa was low (“less than one homicide per day,” she claimed). Since then, violence has escalated, producing significant crime rates.

Sunday’s visit was Sheinbaum’s first to the state since the indictments against Rocha and nine other government and law enforcement officials from the state were made public in April.

To address the challenges, Sheinbaum said federal officials would travel in stages to Sinaloa “to directly address the needs of the public.”

Security Cabinet officials will visit this week, she said, followed by officials from the Agriculture Ministry, and then several others.

“There will be no shortage of money to support farmers,” she said, acknowledging that agriculture is the backbone of the state’s economy.