Culiacán Rosales is the capital of Sinaloa. Population ~808k in the city; ~1.0 million in the metro. It sits where the Tamazula and Humaya Rivers meet to form the Culiacán River.
Senior CJNG figure Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as El R-1, has been captured in Jalisco. Authorities say he organized Valeria Marquez’s murder in May 2025 and is connected to the November 2025 murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo. Gas-laden violence in Sinaloa and wider CJNG activity are intensifying. The case ties to multiple high-profile killings and a broader cartel war.