Drug cartels have began infiltrating drug rehabilitation centers across Sinaloa in order to recruit new members for their organizations, promising them "job opportunities" if they join their ranks.
These latest recruitment tactics are now being attributed to members of "Los Chapitos," who in their desperation to keep on battling "La Mayiza" have now turned into recruiting people from vulnerable places such as rehab centers due to the high number of casualties they have suffered since turf wars between both Sinaloa Cartel cliques began on Sept. 9.
According to Borderland Beat, the criminal group led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán are in dire need to replenish their ranks with new members due to the constant attacks from "La Mayiza" and "Los Flechas," an armed wing loyal to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and led by the Cabrera Sarabia brothers.
La Mayiza behind the attacks
A couple of weeks after authorities in Sinaloa received reports of cartel members targeting rehab centers in order to find new recruits, attacks turned violent as alleged members of "La Mayiza" carried out two attacks against such facilities.
On Dec. 19, a group of armed civilians entered a rehab center located in the Jacarandas neighborhood, north of the city center. During that first attack, the alleged cartel members set the building on fire, leaving 18 people with severe burns. According to Sinaloa's Department of Public Health at least three of the victims remain in critical state.
The second attack took place 24 hours later in the neighborhood of El Toreo. According to reports from residents, they heard gunshots and explosives inside the building. When authorities arrived at the scene they found a couch on fire blocking the main entrance.
"La Mayiza" records video of two rehab hostages
In a video shared by Borderland Beat, members of "La Mayiza" can be heard interrogating two men that identified themselves as Jonathan Daniel Villa Sila, alias "Chino," and Rafael Patrón Mancilla, alias "El Ranfle."
According to their testimonies, both men were kidnapped by members of "Los Chapitos" while they were staying at two Mazatlán rehab centers. Both men described that people kidnapped were taken inside white vans and transferred to different municipalities in Sinaloa where they were forced to participate in armed conflicts.
Among the suspects is a man known as "El 70," who was allegedly the leader behind the kidnappings. Authorities believe he works for "Los Chapitos."
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