Sinaloa Cartel Threatens Border Patrol with Shooting After Leader’s Arrest, Memo Warns – Tickle The Wire

By Steve Neavling

According to an internal memo, Border Patrol agents in West Texas were warned of possible shootings by Sinaloa Cartel members following the arrest of two high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel leaders in July.

In the past, Mexican cartels have avoided violent confrontations with U.S. law enforcement to avoid severe retaliation. However, the July 25 arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has changed this dynamic, particularly among younger cartel members.

An internal memo received from NewsNationalerted federal agents in the El Paso sector of Texas to the new threat. The warning came after contractors working on a ranch in Eagle Pass, Texas, reported shots fired through the border fence on October 15.

“They are no longer afraid of anyone, especially U.S. law enforcement,” former Homeland Security agent Victor Avila told NewsNation. “They have the resources and the capabilities, and they will use them against us.”

Under El Chapo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel had banned the production of fentanyl, with violators facing the death penalty. The order came from his sons, including Joaquín Guzmán López, who was arrested in July after allegedly betraying Zambada and forcing him onto a plane to the United States

As the cartel’s leadership falls apart, violent power struggles between rival factions escalate. More than 190 people have been killed in ongoing violence in Sinaloa.

Cartel members have also reportedly set up blockades throughout Culiacán, Sinaloa’s largest city. At these checkpoints, drivers are stopped at gunpoint while cartel members check their phones.

Anyone who can be proven to have contacts with rival cartels or to have sent the wrong text message or photo can face serious consequences, including injury or death.