Exclusive: The Plan for Sinaloa’s War

The drug bosses arrived on the morning of September 2 at a ranch in the arid hills near the Sinaloa villages known as Los Sitios to finalize plans for the war. The meeting was led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, or “Mayito Flaco,” the 42-year-old son of legendary drug lord El Mayo. His father had allegedly been tricked, kidnapped and forced onto a plane to be turned over to U.S. agents, and Mayito Flaco wanted revenge.

A key presence at the court-martial was Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, also known as Chapo Isidro, a major trafficker with a strong base in the northern Sinaloa town of Guasave and influence far beyond. Short and stocky, Isidro shares the nickname “Chapo” with the infamous Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, but has been on opposite sides in several conflicts.

Another key participant was José Gil Caro Quintero, known as “Pelo Chino” or “Curly,” a nephew of 1980s drug lord Rafael “Caro” Quintero, who is blamed for the death of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. The younger Caro Quintero took over his uncle’s faction of the Sinaloa mafia in Sonora and also runs operations in Veracruz, Chiapas and his native Quintana Roo.

They had been negotiating since Mayo’s arrest on July 25, but the meeting was a chance to personally seal their alliance and finalize the details. Chapo Isidro and Caro Quintero promised sicariesmoney and weapons to support Mayito Flaco in the attack on the Chapitos, or sons of El Chapo. The Chapitos were accused of treason against Mayo, but the bosses also had several problems with them.

The description of the meeting comes from an operator close to the Caro Quintero faction in Sonora who spoke to CrashOut. As with all sources in the narco world, the testimony is to be taken with caution, but the operator has a track record of providing reliable information and further confirming links that give him credibility.

“They want to smoke out the Chapitos,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of violence.”

That violence erupted on Monday, September 9, a week after the meeting, when a convoy of gunmen attacked targets in the Costa Rican city of Sinaloa and gun battles erupted in the heart of the state capital, Culiacán. The fighting raged throughout the week, with shootings and thugs setting fire to trucks and homes. On Wednesday night, the Sinaloa attorney general’s office announced an official death toll of nine, as well as 14 kidnappings. But the real number is likely much higher, as cartels often take the bodies of their fallen.

The Mexican military has sent troops and special forces into the streets, but they have failed to contain the violence, which has forced schools to close, businesses to shutter and residents to shelter in their homes. Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha called for calm on Wednesday but admitted that more violence was likely, a rather frank admission that the government was unable — or chose not to — to maintain order.

“You have been affected by violent events,” Rocha said. “It is likely that now we will have more similar events, the presence of armed groups.”

Map showing the location of the war meeting near the villages of Sitio de Abajo and Nicolás del Sitio (Sitio de Arriba), known as Los Sitios.

A call for banners

It is difficult to estimate how many gunmen are currently active in the Mayos-Chapitos war that is now raging. But at the meeting in Los Sitios, the source said, Chapo Isidro promised to…

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