Sinaloa Governor Rocha Reports 10 Killed in the Past Week Related to Aftermath of "El Mayo" Kidnapping

Recent Killings in Sinaloa

Along with Juan Carlos, Ivan “El Tocino” Onofre, a 40 years old originally from Badiraguato, was also murdered. The two men were returning from the funeral of a relative when they were killed.

Martin García Corrales was found dead alongside two others on the morning of August 17th after being tortured. The bodies of the victims were found on a dirt road leading to the community of Aguaje; one had his hands tied behind his back and the other two had their faces covered with tape.

Martin worked under his brother, a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel named Leobardo Garcia Corrales. Don Leoba was described by the US government as a key operator for Ivan and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, who liked to brag about his closeness with the leaders of Los Chapitos. The current whereabouts or status of Leobardo Garcia Corrales are unknown as are the identities of the other two men found with Martin.

Later that day, the lifeless bodies of two more men shot to death were found near a stream located in the Montesierra neighborhood, in the northern section of Culiacán. Police reports indicate that the victims’ hands were tied and half-covered with stones.

Two more victims were also reported who were shot on August 18th; the first one in the Las Quintas subdivision, in Culiacán named José Carlos “N” a 21 year old.

The second attack occurred on Cerro del Toro Street, in the Cañadas neighborhood, when armed men shot at a Toyota Tacoma truck and then fled. The truck had around 30 bullet holes and inside was a man of approximately 30 to 40 years of age and had at least 10 gunshot wounds to his body and head.

A likely unrelated murder includes that of a 26-year old American tourist who was killed in Mazatlan also occurred on Sunday, August 18, following an argument on a beach, his 20-year old sister, also from California was injured.

“El Mayo” Linked Murders Before July 25

Eliseo “Cheyo Antrax” Imperial Castro was shot and killed while driving his Chevrolet Canyon truck on May 30

Finally, there is Hector Melesio Cuen Ojeda, although he was killed on the same day that El Mayo Zambada was captured. A letter attributed to the latter implicates Cuen in the meeting that resulted in the kidnapping and US arrest of El Mayo. In the letter from the Sinaloa Cartel drug boss, he claims Hector Cuen was killed at the meeting, not during the attempted carjacking at a gas station that evening as the Sinaloa prosecutor alleges it occurred based on the testimony of Fausto Corrales who drove the body of Hector Cuen to the hospital.

Will There Be War in Culiacan?

Anabel Hernández released the audio of an alleged conversation between hitmen from the Sinaloa Cartel who claim that Ismael “El Mayito Flaco” Zambada Sicairos  is looking for allies to avenge Los Chapitos’ betrayal of his father.

Governor’s Call for Peace

During his weekly press conference, he indicated that everyone, including the very generators of violence, should be asked not to affect the tranquility of the people of Sinaloa.

Given the possibility of an escalation of violence in Sinaloa following the capture of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in the United States, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya called for peace. He said that the call for peace in Sinaloa is for everyone without distinction.

He said that authorities at all three levels of government in Sinaloa are working to ensure the safety of families. Rocha Moya also said that people know how to take care of themselves, so he asks people of peace to do so. He reiterated his call to groups that generate violence in Sinaloa not to carry out any aggressive actions, because they affect society and the people.

President López Obrador hoped that the situation in Sinaloa would not worsen further. “This does not mean that there have been no homicides, but there has been no confrontation between groups. This is not the case in Guanajuato or what has recently happened in Chiapas or Zacatecas. This has not happened in Sinaloa. We hope that it does not happen any further. We call for peace to be maintained in Sinaloa, for the people of Sinaloa to be considered.”

And on August 2, the army killed six people during an alleged confrontation in La Loma. At least one of them reportedly had no links to organized crime and worked in the corn fields nearby, his family told InSight Crime.

US Agreements With Los Chapitos

In response to reports that Sinaloa Cartel operators are negotiating their surrender to the United States to obtain a favorable ruling, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he agreed with this practice, noting that each country has its own procedures.

“It is a practice that the United States government has, they negotiate with defendants, who are under investigation, or are already detained before being sentenced, to obtain resources or information, more information, they are called protected witnesses, it is a practice that the US government has and in this case it is not strange,” the president stressed at the morning press conference this Monday.

He added that the US government itself announced that they had been maintaining relations for an agreement with Joaquín Guzmán López, which was what they reported when Ismael Zambada was arrested.

Hector Cuen’s Son Goes On Trial

After postponing the initial hearing 12 times and evading an arrest warrant, the former director of Goods and Supplies of the UAS, Héctor Melesio Cuen Díaz, was brought to trial for alleged payments to a restaurant owned by his family with university funds.

This is the fourth criminal case facing the son of Héctor Melesio Cuen Ojeda, as he is also involved in the multimillion-dollar purchases of beef and chicken, tortillas and the contracting of rehabilitation works without bidding, and three other proceedings are pending.

Cuen Díaz was summoned for the first time for illegal negotiations in October 2023, but the hearing could not be held until last week, because it was postponed with arguments that he was sick or changing lawyers.

In June of this year, a judge issued an arrest warrant for him to be brought to court by force and he has been a fugitive ever since. Last week, the former UAS official voluntarily appeared at the Central Region Criminal Justice Center with a suspension to avoid arrest and requested to hold the initial hearing.

The former Tabasco governor pointed out that these links can be seen reflected in the statements made by the Sinaloa governor himself. In September 2021 (when he was governor-elect), Rocha Moya indicated in an interview with Salvador García Soto that the “approval” of the drug traffickers was needed to govern Sinaloa.

Andrade Díaz also said that it is not credible that Rocha Moya traveled with his family to the United States on the same day that Hector Melesio Cuen was murdered and ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez were arrested.