Trump's Proposal Divides Residents in Sinaloa

Nearly eight in 10 Mexicans opposed U.S. military strikes in a national poll last month, but opinions in Sinaloa have shifted. The state’s three million residents, in a long-standing cartel stronghold, are about 20 months into a war that began when the cartel fractured into two.

Many said they were desperate for peace and would entertain a U.S. intervention if it could end the violence. "It’s the last option we have," said Oliver Zamora, a 23-year-old meat seller. Cartel members described preparations for a possible American strike: stockpiling weapons, installing lookouts to scan the skies and buying rocket-propelled grenades and anti-drone systems.

"There is a lot of paranoia," a senior regional coordinator for a faction called the Mayitos said. Lookouts have been sent into the Sierra Madre, and groups have reinforced defenses around leaders and fentanyl laboratories.

Mexico, Sinaloa

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