The war between the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and Ismael el “Mayo” Zambada’s faction of the Cartel de Sinaloa (CDS) in Zacatecas continues heating up after the two rival groups reportedly clashed in Valparaíso. At the moment, the number of casualties is not confirmed.

On Monday, two were killed, and ten were wounded after clashes erupted between presumed members of the CDS and the CJNG in Jiménez de Téul, Zacatecas, near the border with Durango. It is unclear what group, if any, the casualties were members. The clashes were reported between 19:00 and 20:00 hours in the village of El Carrizo. According to Ruth Medina, the head of the Durango Attorney General’s Office (FGJD), the clashes are believed to have occurred between the rival CDS and CJNG cartels. In a separate video, a convoy of CJNG men were reportedly in transit to Valparaiso to reinforce their men.

According to the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Zacatecas recorded 132 homicides in February 2021. Since the start of the year, six police officers have been killed.

Since the beginning of 2020, the state has documented an increasing rise in violence as the cartel wars intensify. Between January 2020 to February 2021, Zacatecas recorded 1,346 homicides, though figures could be much higher as the war between the CJNG and CDS faction of Ismael el “Mayo” Zambada intensifies.

The state is a highly coveted transit point for drug trafficking, especially fentanyl, due to two crucial federal highways that connect it to the US-border states of Tamaulipas and Chihuahua. According to the state Secretary of Public Security, up to 90% of homicides in Zacatecas are linked to organized crime. Within the last decade, the CDS, Cartel del Golfo (CDG), Cartel del Noreste (CDN), CJNG, and Los Talibanes, a cell allied with Los Zetas, have been vying to take control of the state.