Operation Sinaloa
Encyclopedia
Operation Sinaloa or Operation Culiacan - Navolato (Spanish
: Operacion Sinaloa/Operacion Conjunto Sinaloa) is a ongoing Anti-drug trafficking operation in the Mexican state of Sinaloa
by the Federal Police and the Mexican Armed Forces
. Its main objective is to cripple all cartel organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel
, Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
and Los Zetas
that operate in that state. The Military was deployed in response to the murder of Mexico's Federal Police commissioner Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
.
and Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
who are at war with each other since there break in 2008 due to the arrest of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva (a.k.a.: El Mochomo) on January 20, 2008. The arrest of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva (a.k.a.: El Mochomo) on January 20, 2008, was a huge blow to the Sinaloa Cartel
, as he allegedly oversaw large-scale drug-smuggling operations and was a key money launderer
for the cartel. In apparent revenge
for the arrest of his brother Alfredo, Arturo ordered the assassination of the commissioner of the Federal Police, Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
and other top federal officials in the Mexican capital. One group of these hit men
was captured in a Mexico City
house with dozens of assault rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, 30 hand grenade
s, and bullet-proof jackets bearing the legend FEDA — the Spanish acronym for 'Special Forces of Arturo'. Apparently, the Beltrán Leyva brothers blamed their boss Joaquin "Chapo" Guzmán for their brother's arrest, and ordered the assassination of Guzmán's son, 22 year-old Édgar Guzmán López, which was carried out in a shopping center parking lot by at least 15 gunmen using assault rifles and grenade launchers
.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Operacion Sinaloa/Operacion Conjunto Sinaloa) is a ongoing Anti-drug trafficking operation in the Mexican state of Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
by the Federal Police and the Mexican Armed Forces
Mexican Armed Forces
The Mexican Armed Forces are composed of the Mexican Army which includes the Mexican Air Force as a subordinate entity and the Mexican Navy which also includes the Mexican Naval Infantry and Naval Aviation...
. Its main objective is to cripple all cartel organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
, Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
The Beltrán-Leyva Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate founded by the four Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo and Héctor....
and Los Zetas
Los Zetas
Los Zetas is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the most violent drug cartel and paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico...
that operate in that state. The Military was deployed in response to the murder of Mexico's Federal Police commissioner Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez was a third-ranking member of Mexico's Secretariat of Public Security and acting commissioner of the Federal Preventive Police. Born in Mexico City, he received a law degree from the Universidad del Valle de México. After graduating he started his career in the Mexican...
.
Background
President Felipe Calderón's government ordered massive raids on drug cartels upon assuming office in December 2006 in response to an increasingly deadly spate of violence in his home state of Michoacán. The decision to intensify drug enforcement operations has led to an ongoing conflict between the federal government and the Mexican drug cartels. Sinaloa is home to the Sinaloa cartelSinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
and Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
The Beltrán-Leyva Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate founded by the four Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo and Héctor....
who are at war with each other since there break in 2008 due to the arrest of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva (a.k.a.: El Mochomo) on January 20, 2008. The arrest of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva (a.k.a.: El Mochomo) on January 20, 2008, was a huge blow to the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
, as he allegedly oversaw large-scale drug-smuggling operations and was a key money launderer
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
for the cartel. In apparent revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
for the arrest of his brother Alfredo, Arturo ordered the assassination of the commissioner of the Federal Police, Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez
Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez was a third-ranking member of Mexico's Secretariat of Public Security and acting commissioner of the Federal Preventive Police. Born in Mexico City, he received a law degree from the Universidad del Valle de México. After graduating he started his career in the Mexican...
and other top federal officials in the Mexican capital. One group of these hit men
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
was captured in a Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
house with dozens of assault rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, 30 hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, and bullet-proof jackets bearing the legend FEDA — the Spanish acronym for 'Special Forces of Arturo'. Apparently, the Beltrán Leyva brothers blamed their boss Joaquin "Chapo" Guzmán for their brother's arrest, and ordered the assassination of Guzmán's son, 22 year-old Édgar Guzmán López, which was carried out in a shopping center parking lot by at least 15 gunmen using assault rifles and grenade launchers
M203 grenade launcher
The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...
.
2008
- January 3 - Mexican military and police personnel discover 252.7 kilos of cocaine inside freight containers onboard a ship in the port of MazatlánMazatlánMazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
.
- May 11, 2008 - Alfonso Gutiérrez Loera cousin of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera and 5 other drug traffickers were arrested after a shootout with Federal Police officers in CuliacánCuliacánCuliacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, SinaloaSinaloaSinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. Along with the captured suspects, 16 assault rifles, 3 grenades, 102 magazines and 3,543 ammunition rounds were seized.
- May 13 - Secretary of the InteriorSecretary of the Interior (Mexico)The Mexican Secretary of the Interior is the head of the Secretariat of the Interior, concerned with the country's internal affairs, the presentation of the president's bills to Congress, their publication and certain issues of national security. The country's main intelligence agency, CISEN,...
Juan Camilo MouriñoJuan Camilo MouriñoJuan Camilo Mouriño Terrazo was a Mexican politician affiliated to the National Action Party and the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón...
announces the launch of Operation Sinaloa by deploying 3,000 Army and Federal Police troops to SinaloaSinaloaSinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. That day, 300 Mexican troops in a 50 vehicle convoy arrived in the city of NavolatoNavolatoNavolato is a city in Navolato Municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located on the central coast part of the state, the municipality bordering on the Gulf of California....
.
- May 22 - In Culiacán, Sinaloa, acting on an citizen's complaint that armed men were present inside a household in Culiacán's Colonia Guadalupe. Mexican troops from the 24th Motorized Cavalry Regiment and 94th Infantry Battalion raided the household and seized $ 6 million dollars, 13,831 rounds of ammunition, and 16 magazines but no suspects were apprehended.
- May 24 - Mexican Naval air and ground units intercepted two small boats carrying 3 tons of marijuana and close to 2 kilos of marijuana seeds in Altata, Sinaloa.
- May 27 - Mexican marinesMexican Naval InfantryThe Naval Infantry are the marine corps and amphibious infantry force of the Mexican Navy. The main task of the Infantería de Marina is to guarantee the maritime security of the country's ports and external and internal defense of the country, to accomplish these responsibilities the corps is...
and Federal Police forces conducted a search raid on two houses in NavolatoNavolatoNavolato is a city in Navolato Municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located on the central coast part of the state, the municipality bordering on the Gulf of California....
. Marine and Police personnel discovered and seized three assault rifles, 2 rifle magazines and 33 cartridges. 3 trucks were also seized, inside two of them various packages of marijuana was discovered.
- June 5 - Mexican marines locate and destroy 1,200 marijuana plants inside a plantation outside the town of El NaranjoEl NaranjoEl Naranjo is a town and municipality in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico.-References:...
. Also, in another part of the state 3 individuals were arrested in a military checkpoint they were in possession of 400 grams of crystal meth, 3 packages of marijuana with a weight of 400 kilos, 2 assault rifles and two trucks.
- June 9 - Due to a maritime and aerial patrol, Mexican naval units seized two small boats carrying 4 tons of marijuana. Days later, The Mexican Navy incinerated the seized marijuana.
2009
- February 18 - Mexican Marines discover 21 grams of cocaine hidden inside the tires of a pick up truck that was stopped for inspection in MazatlánMazatlánMazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
.
- March 19 - The Mexican Military captures alleged Sinaloa cartelSinaloa CartelThe Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
drug boss Vicente Zambada Niebla, son of drug lord Ismael Zambada GarcíaIsmael Zambada GarcíaIsmael Zambada García , also known as El Mayo Zambada, is a Mexican drug lord and one of the two Sinaloa cartel leaders...
El Mayo.
- June 12 - Mexican marines locate and seized a drug laboratory filled with 50 thousand liters of liquid EphedrineEphedrineEphedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia....
46 kilometers north of CuliacánCuliacánCuliacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
.
- October 12 - With the help of a U.S. Navy ship, Mexican Naval personnel intercepted the ship vessel "FIONA" of the coast of Clarion IslandClarion IslandIsla Clarión, formerly called Santa Rosa, is the second largest, westernmost and most remote of the Revillagigedo Islands, west of Socorro Island and over from the Mexican mainland and an area ². It has three prominent peaks. The westernmost and tallest peak, Monte Gallegos, is high...
. 4 individuals and 500 kilos of cocaine were seized.
2010
- January 2 - Carlos Beltrán LeyvaBeltrán-Leyva CartelThe Beltrán-Leyva Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate founded by the four Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo and Héctor....
, brother of Marcos Arturo Beltrán-LeyvaMarcos Arturo Beltrán-LeyvaArturo Beltrán Leyva was the leader of the Mexican drug trafficking organization known as the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, which is headed by the Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo and Héctor. The cartel is responsible for cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine production,...
was arrested by Federal Police officers in Culiacán, Sinaloa.
- March 31 - In various parts around CuliacánCuliacánCuliacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, Troops from the 9th military zone seized 7 kilos 200 grams of crystal that was found inside the compartmen of a truck, A clandestine laboratory for producing synthetic drugs with 65 liters of MethamphetamineMethamphetamineMethamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, 30 assault rifles, 23 magazines, one vehicle and $30 thousand dollars.
- April 30 - For two days, SIEDOSIEDOSIEDO, Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada , is the organized-crime division of Mexico's Office of the Attorney General....
agents supported by hundreds of marinesMexican Naval InfantryThe Naval Infantry are the marine corps and amphibious infantry force of the Mexican Navy. The main task of the Infantería de Marina is to guarantee the maritime security of the country's ports and external and internal defense of the country, to accomplish these responsibilities the corps is...
initiated various household raids in MazatlánMazatlánMazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
. two individuals were arrested.
- May 1 - In Cualiacan, SinaloaCuliacánCuliacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, A Municipal Police commander was ambushed and shot dead in his Patrol Vehicle in the Colonia of Ferrocarrilera.- Los MochisLos MochisLos Mochis is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 256,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population....
, Government officials announced that 500 Federal Police officers will be deployed in the Municipality of AhomeAhomeAhome is a municipality on the coast of the Sea of Cortez in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Sinaloa; it is adjacent to Higuera de Zaragoza, Sinaloa, and the southern border of Sonora state. It reported 388,344 inhabitants in the 2005 census. Ahome is also the name of the...
to reinforce the municipal police. Less than 150 of those Federal Officers will be send to Los MochisLos MochisLos Mochis is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 256,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population....
.
- Los Mochis