Sinaloa’s War of the Splinters: Fighting Crime in Mexico under U.S. Threat

(Crisis Group) Rivalry between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s largest drug trafficking groups, has sparked vicious fighting since 2024. The Mexican military has curbed the worst violence in Sinaloa’s state capital, but the dispute has shifted to rural areas and killings continue. President Claudia Sheinbaum is battling to deter U.S. military intervention in Mexico by clamping down on organised crime, while also seeking to quell the country’s chronic violence. But preserving strong ties with Washington risks derailing plans to build a more effective security apparatus and puts strain on her political coalition. U.S. pressure has forced Sheinbaum into concessions, but it could also help her overcome political resistance to taking on the powerful networks sustaining organised crime. To curb violence in Sinaloa and elsewhere, Mexico should strengthen intelligence gathering and prosecution of those supporting illegal groups, prevent criminal recruitment and protect victims. – Sinaloa’s War of the Splinters: Fighting Crime in Mexico under U.S. Threat | International Crisis Group