For decades, the mountainous region of Sinaloa known as El Triángulo Dorado, or the Golden Triangle, has been a stronghold for some of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. In particular, the municipality of Badiraguato, birthplace of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Rafael Caro Quintero and the Beltrán Leyva brothers, was long seen as a safe haven where cartel leaders could live without fear of arrest or violence.
But according to a new report by Revista Espejo, that is changing. The violence unleashed by the war between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza has reached deep into the region, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes. Revista Espejo says violence arrived in Badiraguato in mid‑September, when residents of several towns awoke to gunfire and explosions.
