11 suspected Los Chapitos members detained

Reporting and context

Jornada Baja California reported on Sept. 12 that military personnel and Sinaloa state police detained 11 suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Chapitos faction during an operation in Escuinapa, Sinaloa. The report said Mexican Army personnel and the Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat’s Special Operations Group carried out ground reconnaissance and surveillance patrols in La Isla del Bosque. The detainees were reportedly captured in flagrante, and authorities seized 12 long guns, magazines, ammunition of various calibers and tactical equipment.

According to information attributed to Mexico’s Defense Secretariat, the 11 detainees were allegedly under the command of Óscar Luciano Martínez Larios, known as “El Casco,” whom authorities described as a regional Los Chapitos leader. Jornada Baja California said the authorities identify Martínez Larios as allegedly participating in the kidnapping and homicide of 10 workers from mining company Canam/Vizsla Silver. The source placed those events on Jan. 23 in the municipality of La Concordia, Sinaloa.

The report attributes the alleged links and accusations to the authorities it cites and does not describe a final judicial finding. Jornada Baja California’s account focuses on the arrests, the alleged chain of command and the weapons seizure; it does not provide additional detail about the workers’ identities, the status of the investigation, or the legal charges filed against the detainees. The Defense Secretariat and Sinaloa authorities are the sources identified for the operational details and the alleged connection to the mining-company case.