A town in northwestern Mexico was hit by explosive drone attacks, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa said Tuesday, amid ongoing infighting within a drug cartel.
The bombardment, whose exact date was not specified by authorities, struck Badiraguato — birthplace of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and a long-time hub of Mexico’s drug trade. The attack forced dozens of residents to flee the area, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya said.
“Drones were indeed used in these attacks,” the governor confirmed to reporters, adding that displaced residents were being cared for by the government.
According to displaced residents who requested anonymity, the strikes targeted La Tuna ranch, owned by El Chapo’s family. Other properties were also hit, with witnesses reporting that more than 80 families were threatened by armed groups.
A violent conflict has been raging among factions of the Sinaloa cartel since September 2024, leaving at least 1,700 people dead — including 57 minors — and nearly 2,000 missing.
Across Mexico, various criminal organizations have increasingly used drones to attack rivals and security forces. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), for instance, has deployed such weapons since at least 2020, according to a report by the think tank Insight Crime.
