11 suspected Los Chapitos members arrested in Escuinapa

Noroeste Seguridad reported that Mexican authorities arrested 11 people during an operation in Isla del Bosque, in Escuinapa, Sinaloa, on September 11. The report said the Defense Secretariat identified the detainees as suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Chapitos faction. Noroeste Seguridad attributed that identification to authorities and did not present it as a court finding.

According to a statement from the Third Military Region and Ninth Military Zone, Mexican Army personnel carried out ground reconnaissance and surveillance patrols with the Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat’s Special Operations Group. Authorities said the 11 detainees may be linked to Óscar Luciano Martínez Larios, known as “Casco,” whom federal forces identify as a regional Los Chapitos leader. The military report further alleged that Martínez Larios is connected to the unlawful detention and killing of 10 workers from mining company Canam/Vizsla Silver Corp. in Concordia on January 23; those allegations remain attributed to the military report.

Noroeste Seguridad said the operation resulted in the seizure of 12 long guns, magazines, ammunition of various calibers, and tactical equipment. The detainees and the seized items were transferred to the federal prosecutor’s office in Culiacán for further investigation. The source did not provide the detainees’ names or describe any charges or judicial ruling against them.