Comondú Is Besieged by the Sinaloa Cartel

Following the unfortunate events on the night of Wednesday, July 2nd, in Ciudad Constitución, Comondú municipality, members of all three branches of government remain active in the area due to the risk that organized crime poses to the State Security Roundtable. Today, this is the focal point of the war between the Sinaloa Cartel factions: La Chapiza and La Mayiza in Baja California Sur.

“Security specialists must investigate whether that group is the one operating in the Comondú and Loreto region, which has had us in constant turmoil and has committed a series of intentional homicides in that area, and that confrontation occurred,” said Víctor Castro Cosío, governor of the state, regarding the shooting.

Since the night before, members of La Chapiza carried out various attacks in the municipal seat of Comondú, both men and women. The first attack occurred just after 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, on Héroes de Independencia Boulevard, between Antonio Mijares and Manuel Pineda streets in the 4 de Marzo neighborhood. María Elena “N,” alias “La Güera,” was shot in the backyard of her home.

By the time emergency units responded to the report, the woman had already died; however, security forces offered protection to the family for fear of the gunmen’s return. At practically the same time, but in the Las Brisas neighborhood of Ciudad Insurgentes, another woman was shot; the injured woman was rushed to receive medical attention.

“A source on the streets confirmed that La Chapiza went out into the countryside to try to recover the territory they had lost to Los Mayos, who had already invaded a large part of their area. It will now be very difficult to remove them, but it seems this is going to get even more complicated,” revealed the source from the State Security Board.

Around noon on Wednesday, July 2, a man was executed on Miguel Alemán Valdez Street between Atletismo and Canotaje Streets in the Olímpica neighborhood of Ciudad Constitución. The man had multiple bullet wounds to his body.

Approximately 12 hours later, on Álvaro Obregón and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada streets, officers from the State Criminal Investigation Agency of the State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) received a report of the body of a man inside a white Ford Escape SUV, which had crashed into a wall after a confrontation with soldiers.

According to unofficial sources, this was the result of a confrontation with members of the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) on Agustín Olachea Boulevard, the commercial area of the Centro neighborhood in Ciudad Constitución.

“We heard it from start to finish. Our business is located on the main avenue of Ciudad Constitución, and when it all started, we could hear the sound of bullets whizzing by. We were very scared, and there were customers in the diner, we didn’t know what to do. I was hysterical, people were crying, and the workers were scared. I was truly scared and started thinking about my family back home,” said Alejandra, who was working very close to the scene.

The soldiers opened fire on two white trucks and a gray one that had been reported to be armed. Upon seeing the soldiers, the assailants opened fire. The shooting occurred around 11:20 p.m. on July 2nd, on the town’s main avenue.

Officers and gunmen exchanged gunfire in the Morelos and Agustín Olachea neighborhoods, while in nearby businesses and places, diners and workers took refuge under tables and food carts. For several minutes, a fierce exchange of gunfire raged, bullets hitting the ground and walls.

“Get over here, they’re fighting with the soldiers, they’re right around the corner fighting against the soldiers; they’re over there, you can see them firing rounds in the distance. Look, the policeman stopped in his tracks,” witnesses commented.

Meanwhile, on Agustín Olachea Boulevard, soldiers seized two pickup trucks, one of them a Ford Escape with a dead gunman, and a Ford F150 with multiple bullet holes abandoned on Miguel Hidalgo and Guillermo Prieto, also from the Centro neighborhood. At that moment, multiple voices could be heard shouting toward the vehicle to stop and get out. However, no one was arrested, only one person died.

In the end, they killed a hitman, seized two cars and two firearms used by the criminals to attack the armed forces.

BUSINESSES FEAR INSECURITY

After several minutes of gunfire, multiple stray bullets hit nearby homes and businesses; the Coffee Star Restaurant located at the corner of Morelos and Agustín Olachea streets was caught in the crossfire.

The bullets from the exchange shattered the windows and injured two workers who were finishing their workday, one named Aurora “N” and the other a 25-year-old woman. The Attorney General’s Office confirmed the collateral damage and initiated an investigation.

“The women injured by a firearm inside Coffee Star, were transported by emergency services to a city hospital for medical attention. Agents from the Public Ministry’s Intentional Homicide Investigation Unit have initiated an investigation to identify the person or persons likely responsible,” they stated.

Another business located on Agustín Olachea Boulevard or the Transpeninsular Highway has decided to modify its hours to reduce the risk to its staff and allow its customers to come back with greater peace of mind. This was the case with Asadero Walos, located on the boulevard and Venustiano Carranza, one block from the confrontation.

“Dear Taqueria Walos customers: Due to the unfortunate violent events that occurred in our area, our establishment will be closing at 9:30 p.m. This is to ensure the safety of each member of our staff and of you, our customers. We hope to soon return to normal so we can continue providing you with the service you deserve,” they announced.

And merchants fear for their peace of mind, as they have previously suffered alleged attacks, such as the one reported on June 19, in which a well-known hardware store owner and gas station attendant was shot while driving his white pickup truck through the downtown area of Ciudad Constitución.

The victim, named Diego “N,” was accompanied by a worker when a pickup truck with armed men stopped him, and after failing to respond, he was shot. The merchant sped until he reached the Comondú Municipal Security and Traffic Department, where he was assisted by police, to whom he explained that they had allegedly tried to kill him.

In light of the recent attacks against the residents of Ciudad Constitución, the state executive announced that they needed to deal a severe blow to criminals in the area, who have them in “constant turmoil.”

“We’ve been investigating for a month now, and I hope there are results. I’ve asked the Attorney General and everyone at the Security Roundtable to say that we’re busy striking a blow to crime, and above all, achieving results; there can be no impunity,” the governor stated.

It wasn’t until Monday, July 7, that the Security Roundtable’s officers carried out their strike through “Operation Valley,” with which they seized drugs, weapons, cars, and detainees.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, due to investigative and intelligence work following anonymous reports, neighbors reported the presence “at a home in the Centro neighborhood of Ciudad Constitución, where at night, civilians carrying weapons were entering and leaving the premises in vehicles without license plates and tinted windows.”

In response, they set up security, and during the night, officers from the Sedena (National Guard), Semar (Secretary of State for the Defense of the State of Martyrs), the State Police, the National Guard, and the Municipal Police launched the operation, during which, in two separate operations, three men were arrested without injuries.

“The initial response reported that the driver of a recent model pickup truck fled quickly upon noticing the presence of the police vehicles. A pursuit ensued from Ciudad Constitución to the Benito Juárez intersection. The vehicle entered a dirt road. From inside his vehicle the driver fired a handgun, resulting in the attack being repelled. The driver managed to flee by entering the woods. The vehicle, a handgun, and drugs were seized, and the search for the assailant continues. A vehicle was also seized in the Centro neighborhood, where three people were arrested in possession of three handguns, two long guns, and various ammunition,” the Attorney General’s Office reported.

ON ALERT

According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, Baja California Sur has accumulated 36 intentional homicides from January to May 2025, placing the state above other states with the highest rates of violence and higher population density, such as Durango, Chihuahua, and Yucatán.

For business owners, this is undoubtedly a wake-up call for authorities, in collaboration with business leaders and the general public, to work in a coordinated manner to reduce insecurity.

“We must remember that security is an essential part of economic development for the business sector and for society itself. Events like the ones happening right now will definitely disrupt public life, disrupt social peace, and disrupt economic development in some way. The business sector will always be concerned about the perception of insecurity, including insecurity itself,” stated Fabricio González, president of the Transparency and Anti-Corruption Commission of the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) in Baja California Sur.

It seems that the state is returning to the most critical times of insecurity, where criminal gangs carry out acts of execution in broad daylight, and extremely violent murders and attacks against security forces are committed.

In response, the president of the Coparmex Transparency and Anti-Corruption Commission urged institutions at all three levels of government to pay special attention to this issue, which is just beginning: to ensure it doesn’t grow and then spiral out of control with the economic downturn and the influx of tourists.

“We urge authorities at all three levels of government to pay attention, to redouble their attention. We know there’s work already done, but it’s clear that these public policies need to be strengthened, and it’s clear that we citizens need to do our part as well, contributing to anonymous reporting and contributing to citizen engagement. The only way to prevent our state from spiraling into insecurity is through social cohesion,” said Fabricio González.

Similarly, National Action Party (PAN) Senator Susana Zatarain urged the state government, led by Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío, to address the state’s insecurity rates.

She explained that the figures are far from encouraging, not only for intentional homicide, but also for drug-related violence, common crimes such as robbery in its various forms, which have also increased.

“Baja California Sur is experiencing a surge in violence: The homicide rate grew 52 percent between 2022 and 2024 (source: Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System). So far this year, La Paz and Los Cabos account for more than 80 percent of the state’s crimes. Sixty-three percent of the population in BCS feels unsafe (source: INEGI ENSU Survey, first quarter of 2025). Property crimes have skyrocketed: home burglary and vehicle theft increased by 36 percent in the last year,” Zatarain denounced.

Source: Zeta Tijuana