A brutal power struggle between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has left more than 2,600 people dead and triggered 3,800 missing-person reports since September 2024, according to an International Crisis Group report released Tuesday. The conflict between the Chapitos and Los Mayos factions has also destroyed roughly 15,000 jobs and caused over $1 billion in economic losses.
The violence has strained bilateral security cooperation. Mexico is investigating whether the United States violated its sovereignty during the 2024 capture of cartel elder Ismael Zambada, who later pleaded guilty to federal charges. President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government will present a report on Zambada's capture on Tuesday. Joaquín Guzmán López, who admitted to kidnapping Zambada, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in December 2025.
US authorities in April indicted Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and eight other officials over alleged cartel ties, and two US intelligence agents died that month during an operation in Chihuahua. The FBI plans to display the aircraft used to fly Zambada to the United States in a museum.