Sinaloa Cartel Violence Drives Fear in Culiacan

The ongoing internal conflict within Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel has turned cellphone chats into potential death sentences, as cartel gunmen target individuals based on their phone content. Residents of Culiacan live in fear, knowing that a simple chat or contact with a rival faction can lead to execution and a chain reaction of kidnappings and murders. The violence has escalated following the arrests of drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López in the U.S., leading to a month of intense fighting between factions. Journalists and locals report that gunmen frequently stop people on the streets, demanding their phones and checking for compromising information. The situation has left many unable to venture even a short distance from their homes, as roadblocks and searches have become commonplace. This brutal new reality underscores the severe impact of cartel violence on local communities, with an estimated 2,000 jobs lost since the violence intensified in September.