
Last September, two Sinaloa cartel factions —"Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza"— declared war to each other for control of the criminal organization. The violent conflict quickly spread out all across Sinaloa with the city of Culiacán serving as the epicenter.
Since early September, hundreds of people have either lost their lives or disappeared. As of Feb. 8, Sinaloa has seen 828 homicide cases since turf wars began five months ago, averaging 5.4 per day.