Victoria Dittmar

6 days ago | insightcrime.org | Victoria Dittmar |Parker Asmann

One morning in September 2024, Ana Rosa Sánchez* arrived early to begin her morning routine at a seafood restaurant in Altata, a small fishing village in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa. But as she awaited her first clients, her phone started buzzing. Culiacán had erupted into chaos with reports of gunfights, killings, and arson attacks. Without thinking twice, Sánchez closed the metal doors to the restaurant and locked them shut. She wouldn’t open them again for four months.

6 days ago | insightcrime.org | Victoria Dittmar |Parker Asmann

Una mañana de septiembre, Ana Rosa Sánchez* llegó temprano a su restaurante de mariscos en Altata, un pueblo costero del estado de Sinaloa, para iniciar su rutina habitual. Mientras esperaba a los primeros clientes, revisó las noticias en su teléfono celular: Culiacán ardía entre balaceras, muertos e incendios. Sin pensarlo, bajó la cortina metálica y aseguró la entrada con candados. No volvió a abrirla hasta cuatro meses después.

3 weeks ago | insightcrime.org | Parker Asmann |Victoria Dittmar

Cerca de las 2 horas de la mañana del 7 de abril, un grupo de hombres armados irrumpió en un centro de rehabilitación de drogas en la ciudad de Culiacán, México, y reunió a las 20 personas que vivían allí. El director del centro, ubicado en una tranquila calle residencial cerca de un mirador y una iglesia católica, intentó razonar con ellos. “Somos gente de Dios”, suplicó. No sirvió de nada.

3 weeks ago | insightcrime.org | Parker Asmann |Victoria Dittmar

A group of armed men stormed into a drug rehab facility in the city of Culiacán, Mexico, at around 2:00 in the morning on April 7, and rounded up the 20 or so individuals living there. The director of the center, which is located on a quiet residential street near a scenic overlook and a Catholic church, tried to reason with them. “We are people of God,” he pleaded. It did not matter.

2 months ago | insightcrime.org | Victoria Dittmar |Parker Asmann

Authorities in Mexico have carried out a series of unprecedented security operations in a crackdown on the country’s top criminal groups as the threat of US tariffs looms. But the bigger question remains: Will these efforts be enough to placate the Trump administration and stabilize bilateral security cooperation?