The Huertos del Pedregal ranch marked the fate of the Sinaloa Cartel and of the governor on leave, Rubén Rocha Moya, who has been wanted by the United States for a week.
In July 2024, Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the leaders of Los Chapitos, kidnapped drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada there before handing him over to the U.S. government, which currently has him imprisoned.
According to a letter released by El Mayo in August of that year, he was summoned to that ranch by his godson to meet with Rocha Moya and legislator Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda—who was murdered on July 25, 2024—in order to mediate between the two politicians, who were vying for control of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS).
Following that incident—in which El Mayo was kidnapped and his security team was allegedly murdered—Los Chapitos and La Mayiza, the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, fractured and declared the war that has plunged Sinaloa into violence, insecurity, and near-ungovernability.
Meanwhile, Rocha Moya, a close ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was forced to resign as governor of the state after accusations from the U.S. Department of Justice linking him to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons in their drug trafficking activities.
Nearly two years after El Mayo’s kidnapping, the Huertos del Pedregal ranch remains under the control of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), through the Specialized Regional Control Prosecutor’s Office (FECOR). Official seals indicate that it is under investigation in case file FED/FEILC/FEILC-SIN/0000053/2024, as confirmed by EL UNIVERSAL during a visit.
Outside the property, there is a National Guard encampment responsible for surveillance and security. The main entrance is a wooden structure adorned with chandeliers. Approximately 50 National Guard troops guard both the front and back of the ranch to prevent it from being seized by any of the warring factions.
The perimeter wall is decorated with quarry stone, and one of the entrances features a gold-colored wrought iron gate bearing the inscription “Huertos.”
Inside, you can see palm trees, a tennis court, rooms, and an abandoned swimming pool, since no one else has entered the estate that marked the destiny of the Sinaloa Cartel and Rocha Moya since 2024, on the outskirts of the Sinaloa capital, where murders, shootouts, and clashes between La Chapiza and La Mayiza are recorded daily.
Huertos del Pedregal borders several properties that remain inhabited, with workers laboring among palm trees and iguanas, keeping a watchful eye on those approaching the renowned property, frequented by onlookers and the media.
Last Wednesday marked one week since the Department of Justice filed formal charges against Rocha Moya, a member of the Morena party, and nine other Sinaloan politicians, including Senator Enrique Inzunza, for alleged ties to Los Chapitos (the drug cartel’s criminal organization).
As a result, Rocha Moya requested a leave of absence from his position and subsequently disappeared from public view, accompanied by a security detail assigned to him by the federal security cabinet. A week after his departure, violence in Sinaloa continues, with more than 30 murders in various parts of the state, primarily in Culiacán.
Shootings and attacks with explosives on businesses, casinos, and homes are reported almost daily in the capital. Just this past Wednesday, cartel members, as some Culiacán residents refer to them, attacked a funeral procession on Calzada las Torres, in the Barrancos neighborhood of Culiacán, leaving two dead and three wounded.
According to residents, most of the casinos in Culiacán have been targeted by the Sinaloa Cartel. The most recent attack was on the Tropicana, allegedly linked to La Mayiza, where an employee was killed in an explosives attack.
Following Rocha Moya’s departure, a group of citizens, including chef and activist Miguel Tanimaya and local business leaders, held a “Carnita Asada por la Paz” (Barbecue for Peace).
“We are happy because this barbecue is a call to all citizens in Culiacán and Sinaloa. More difficult times are coming because these changes, the departure of the government, weaken governance; that’s what’s happening,” said chef Miguel Tanimaya.
Interviewed at the site, Tanimaya stated that the main concern of Sinaloa residents is the state’s governance, and therefore, he indicated, they must be vigilant, raise their voices, and demand that the situation change.
“Sinaloa will change, and Culiacán will progress as we, as citizens, progress, and we really need to have the courage to make things happen. Things will happen.”
Source: eluniversal
