The War Moved South: Sinaloa’s Second Year

ACLED’s September 17 analysis shows Sinaloa’s Chapitos–Mayos war didn’t end in year two—it relocated. Overall organized-crime violence dropped about 28% as Los Mayos gained ground around Culiacán, while Mazatlán and Escuinapa absorbed the fight, drones filled the gap left by fewer street clashes, and the blood spilled into Baja California and Zacatecas. This is what a cartel civil war looks like when the map changes but the war doesn’t quit.