A group of gunmen released a video where they pull up to a house belonging to Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and spray gunfire into the abandoned home before leaving. The attack comes soon after Rocha Moya became the topic of much controversy after the U.S. Department of Justice accused him of being a cartel lackey. Rather than push for his capture and extradition, Mexico’s government has moved to protect him, claiming the charges are political.
The attack took place this weekend in Culiacán, Sinaloa, at a home in the Las Quintas neighborhood. According to Sinaloa State authorities, the attack took place shortly after 10 a.m., and the house had been uninhabited for more than ten years. The video shows four men in a sedan who pull up to the house, get out carrying rifles, and spray dozens of shots into one of the walls. The attack is significant in nature because it shows an escalation of tensions and violence in the region.
The attack is attributed to the Mayiza faction of the Sinaloa cartel, a group led by the family of jailed cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. As Breitbart Texas reported, the Mayiza or Mayitos have been at war with the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel since they kidnapped El Mayo and turned him in to U.S. authorities. That perceived betrayal also sparked a rift between Los Mayos and Rocha Moya, who believed that the politician helped set up the trap.
The alliance between Los Chapitos and Rocha Moya was further confirmed last month when the U.S. Department of Justice released a criminal indictment claiming that Rocha Moya and nine of his closest allies had been working for Los Chapitos in exchange for bribes and political power. The indictment not only includes drug conspiracy charges, but also weapons charges and several other charges that accuse Moya and his group of not only enabling the cartel but also being direct allies.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.