Sinaloa Cartel still a powerful threat

Due to the recent capture of former Cartel leader El Chapo’s son Ovidio Guzmán, there has been a series of attacks from the Sinaloa Cartel. There have been endless attacks on the northern city of Culiacán. These attacks have consisted of the Cartel gunmen exchanging fire with security forces, blocking roads with burning vehicles and shooting at army helicopters and police.

The Sinaloa Cartel began this violence on Jan. 6, 2023, after El Chapo son’s capture. According to The New York Times, 10 soldiers and 19 Cartel members have died, while 35 soldiers were wounded and 21 suspected Cartel members were arrested.

Guzmán is being held at, Altiplano maximum security prison in Mexico City. Coincidently this is where his father El Chapo escaped from.

The Cartel has attacked with weapons such as 50-caliber machine guns and they have set up roadblocks with flaming vehicles. These attacks are attempts at freeing Guzmán, but they have been very destructive and violent as 3,500 soldiers were put into action. The Mexican government continues to deal with this situation and the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, says efforts from past presidents have only ended in blood.

Therefore, Obrador hopes to use the strategy “hugs not bullets.” He wants to put an end to this violence and limit the bloodshed.

There are many people being affected by this, including some students at our school. Students who were traveling to Mexico during Christmas break as border restrictions have toughened and people are having a nightmare trying to come back were not allowed to reenter the US. Many people are trapped in Mexico due