Nine Killed in Sinaloa Cartel Attack at Mexican Rehab Clinic

A group of cartel gunmen stormed a drug rehab center, killing nine victims and injuring several others in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The mass killing is the latest chapter of a wave of violence brought on by a fierce turf war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The attack took place on Monday shortly after 2 a.m. at a drug rehab clinic in Culiacan, Sinaloa, the El Debate newspaper reported. A group of gunmen arrived at the clinic and immediately began shooting at anybody they found inside. Preliminary reports point to the group looking for the clinic’s owner. The gunmen fired at anybody else they encountered.

By the time authorities arrived, the gunmen had killed eight victims and injured six others. It was later reported that one of the six injured victims died while receiving medical care.

No arrests have been made in the case despite the ongoing deployment of military and police forces throughout the region. The law enforcement presence was intended to bring peace to the state following the start of the cartel turf war last year.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the fighting is tied to a split within the Sinaloa Cartel following the perceived betrayal and arrest of Kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada by his godson Joaquin Guzman Lopez and his allies. The arrest took place during a drug meeting called by Guzman, where he and his gunmen kidnapped Zambada and flew him to Texas, where U.S. authorities were waiting for them. Since then, the fighting between both sides has spread terror through western Mexico, killing thousands.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with the 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 Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..