Fox questions government response to Sinaloa security crisis

Reporting and context

Former President Vicente Fox Quesada accused Morena-led governments of allowing organized-crime groups to take control of part of Mexico’s territory and questioned President Claudia Sheinbaum’s handling of the security crisis in Sinaloa. Fox made the remarks during a visit to Culiacán, where he said violence in the state required a fundamental response and that restoring security should be a priority for federal and local authorities.

According to Noroeste Culiacán, Fox alleged that drug traffickers had taken control of a large part of the country with the support or cooperation of governments affiliated with Morena. He said restoring territorial control would require reestablishing the rule of law in each city and state, while also arguing that the response should not be based only on confrontation. “We do not need a war; we need to have and seek peace,” Fox said, according to the report.

Noroeste Culiacán reported that Fox connected Sinaloa’s security situation to the federal government’s continued support for Morena state administrations. He said peace in neighborhoods, streets and families was more important than political proposals, and called for Sinaloa and Culiacán to be “rescued” from those he accused of appropriating territory. The statements were presented as Fox’s political and security assessment; the report did not establish his accusations as independently verified findings.

Fox spoke weeks after Sheinbaum visited Sinaloa and announced a stronger federal security presence. Sheinbaum said at the time that criminal activity had been contained in Culiacán but had increased in Mazatlán, prompting the deployment of additional personnel. Fox said the situation showed the need for a change in political leadership and urged citizens and opposition parties to build an alternative ahead of 2027.