Narco Tanks confiscated on Sinaloa roads… Not a good sign

The following text was posted on social networks by Carlos Chavez, an American citizen from Chicago who lives in Mazatlan, Sinaloa. If your’e thinking about traveling to Mazatlan, we highly recommend to check this out first…

As you are all aware, Mazatlán is now a very different place relative to the amount of Violence we are seeing throughout the city. The escalation of activities between Mexican security and Criminal elements that started outside of the city several weeks ago has ignited a real battle between the authorities and the two main rival Narco organizations here. See my posts from several weeks ago that discuss this initial ramp of activity if you have not read them previously.

This post is not going to get into too many details regarding actual acts, but I am not on any “Team Brain Dead” either and I am not going to gloss over the facts. Over the past two weeks THE CITY ITSELF has been averaging more than 6 violent acts related to this per day. These acts cover many different activities, from starting fires, to explosions, to car jackings, kidnappings, and of course- shootings and murders. Shootings and murders are happening every day now, with anywhere between a few to several killed per day, and often even more injured. Nothing close to this level of violence has been seen in Mazatlán since the relatively short lived Narco Wars of some 16 years ago or so- and even that was not as bad as what we are seeing now. People are on edge, and this means many things, including but not limited to marginal people doing more and more desperate things….

This is effecting the local economy a great deal. We are in the heart of the National Tourist season- which is MASSIVE compared to the Expat activity here- and it is way down. What is happening in Mazatlán has been making National news daily for weeks. On top of this, many service businesses- Restaurants and Clubs, etc., have been closing early… sometimes even very early when things are really out of control.

While most of the victims of the violent crimes have had some kind of connection to one or more Criminal Activities or Groups, NOT ALL of them have been connected. Anyone CAN get caught up in the crossfire. Victims of these acts range from one of the Criminal Kingpins several days ago in the “Nuevo Mazatlan” area, to a well known and admired musician here in town just two days ago. This morning, some kind of explosive was thrown at a Sushi place on the East side of town- not too far from the new Stadium. Just one example.

On the one photo for this post. While not one of them, TWO “Narco Tanks” were confiscated in Southern Sinaloa in the past week. This is large uptick for this area. While Mexico’s “Narco Tanks” are world famous, historically, they have been confined to just a few more Narco controlled areas- like the outskirts of Monterrey, the mountains not too far from Culiacan, and a handful of other places. Southern Sinaloa is not known for having these around…. until now.

I am on the fence about sharing news sources, as the Mexican Culture is NOT like the US or Canada, and the tolerance and even appetite for graphic photos and/or video is simply over the top for many expats. That said, the local papers are well known and have websites, and there are several locally based social media pages that discuss what is going on… nearly in real time. Do be a bit careful, as some of these social media sites do not really care about what they post- for some it is more a matter of how much attention they can grab.

What does this mean for you and what can you do about it, if anything? As stated several times in my other posts, you are not likely to be a victim of what is going on, but more and more- you need to be careful. It is important to mind your own business. Don’t walk up to people you don’t know just to complain about something- not a good idea. Understand that many people are wound up tight right now. Also- take basic precautions as you can. This includes everything related to driving around town and parking your car, taking the dog-type for a walk, etc. No matter what your living situation is, do not open the door to your apt. or home unless you KNOW who it is and what they are doing there. If you can not evaluate that well for one reason or another- DO what you need to do so that you can. Security cameras are very cheap these days- and any number of people, myself included, can help you install one or more of them in your home.

Lastly, and just as important right now- do not underestimate the power of the summer heat here in Maz- it is ALSO responsible for one or more deaths per day recently. Stay hydrated, don’t walk around outside for hours in the middle of the day- etc.

Source: Carlos Chavez Facebook

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