Overview

• Cellphone chats have become deadly as cartel members use them to identify and target rivals, leading to kidnappings and killings.
• The arrest of drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López has triggered a violent power struggle between factions.
• A new generation of cartel leaders employs extreme violence and kidnapping tactics, deviating from past methods of resolving disputes.
• Culiacan residents face daily threats, with an average of six killings and seven disappearances reported each day.
• The violence has severely impacted the local economy, forcing the closure of businesses and causing significant job losses.