Sinaloa Cartel leaders permit members to shoot at US Border Patrol agents: report
Border Patrol agents in western Texas were warned they may come under cartel gunfire as Sinaloa Cartel leaders permit members to shoot at the US officers after its cofounder’s July arrest, according to an internal memo.The cartels have historically held off on violent encounters with United States-based law enforcement for fear of insurmountable backlash.
But the arrest of cofounder Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, on July 25 has loosened these creeds, especially among younger members.An internal memo obtained by NewsNation warning against the new shooting threat was sent out to federal agents along the El Paso sector of Texas.It came after contractors working on a ranch in Eagle Pass, Texas, reported being fired at through the border fence on Oct.
15.“They fear no one anymore, especially US law enforcement,” former Homeland Security Investigation agent Victor Avila told the outlet.“They do have the resources and they do have the capability, and they will use them against us.”Last year, under El Chapo’s rule, the Sinaloa Cartel barred its production of fentanyl under the strict penalty of death.The order came from his sons, including the one who was arrested in July, after allegedly betraying Zambada and coercing him onto a plane to the United States.As the cartel’s leadership continues to fracture, infighting between factions has only escalated.
In the Mexican province of Sinaloa, more than 190 have been killed as violence continues to spiral.The cartels have reportedly set up blockades throughout Culiacán, the largest city in Sinaloa where it is based.
At the checkpoints, drivers are approached at gunpoint as cartel members search through their phones.Those with rival cartel contacts are often hurt or killed.
Anyone who has texted the wrong phrase, or sent a picture of someone they shouldn’t have can face similar punishment.In September, cartel fighters kidnapped a Culiacá...