An armed attack on two Movimiento Ciudadano deputies in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on January 28, 2026, left Sergio Torres in grave condition and Elizabeth Montoya with serious injuries, including the loss of an eye. Federal authorities attribute the assault to a cell of Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The government has deployed operations and reported detentions to clarify the facts.
On January 28, 2026, local deputies Sergio Torres and Elizabeth Montoya, from the Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) party, were shot at as they left the state Chamber of Deputies in Culiacán, Sinaloa. Sergio Torres, MC president in the state, is in grave condition and remains under medical care, having been transferred to another clinic under heavy security on January 29. Elizabeth Montoya is out of danger but requires surgeries and lost an eye in the incident. A bodyguard who repelled the attack was injured but stable.
Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, stated during the presidential morning briefing in Tijuana that a cell of Los Chapitos, linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and led by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, carried out the attack. “We have advances in the investigation. We are working directly in the security cabinet, the institutions of the federal government, it was a cell of ‘Los Chapitos’ and we will soon announce further progress,” he affirmed.
President Claudia Sheinbaum noted on January 29 that the federal Security Cabinet is handling the case in coordination with state authorities, and that people have been detained, though the number was not specified. Governor Rubén Rocha ordered a search and capture operation, while the Secretariat of National Defense sent 1,600 agents to Sinaloa to bolster security.
This event unfolds amid a violence crisis in Sinaloa since late 2024, stemming from an internal feud between Sinaloa Cartel factions like Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, which has caused over 1,800 deaths and 2,400 disappearances since September 2024, according to the State Public Security Council. Torres had previously requested increased protection due to threats, but the exact motive for the attack remains undetermined.
