Sinaloa deputy prosecutor resigns amid U.S. accusations

Reporting and context

Dámaso Castro Zaavedra resigned as Sinaloa’s deputy prosecutor after roughly six months on leave to address U.S. accusations that he protected Los Chapitos, according to El Financiero. The newspaper reported that he no longer holds the position.

The U.S. allegations described in the report accuse Castro of receiving 200,000 pesos a month in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel faction led by sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. In return, he allegedly helped shield its members from arrest and supplied advance warning of law-enforcement operations supported by the United States.

El Financiero reported that those warnings covered planned raids on drug laboratories, safe houses and cartel targets. U.S. authorities allege the information allowed the faction to move or destroy evidence connected to drug trafficking before officers arrived.

The accusations also describe instructions to avoid arresting Sinaloa Cartel operatives while directing enforcement against Los Chapitos’ rivals. According to the U.S. account summarized by the newspaper, Castro gave the faction access to information about ongoing investigations and planned searches.

The report identifies him by the alias “Culiacán Regio” and says his career in Mexico’s justice system began in 1998. It describes the alleged protection as part of a broader structure that allowed cartel members to sell drugs openly, carry firearms without interference and move large drug shipments through Mexico.

The charges listed by El Financiero include conspiracy to import narcotics, possession of machine guns and explosive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. The report presents these as U.S. accusations against the former official.

Original report from El Financiero