A confrontation between the Mexican Navy (Semar) and suspected members of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in the community of El Limoncito, Culiacán, resulted in nine arrests and one fatality on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, officials reported.
The incident began when Navy personnel conducting routine patrols in Sinaloa were fired upon by armed individuals, according to a statement released by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) via X, formerly known as Twitter. Omar García Harfuch, head of the SSPC, confirmed the engagement and subsequent detentions.
“While personnel of the Secretary of the Navy @SEMAR_mx were carrying out surveillance patrols in Sinaloa to prevent crime in the area, they were attacked with firearms by members of organized crime,” García Harfuch posted. “After repelling the aggression in the community of El Limoncito, in Culiacán, Navy personnel @SEMAR_mx detained 9 people; one of the aggressors lost his life.”
Authorities seized a significant cache of weaponry and explosives at the scene, including high-caliber firearms, a grenade launcher, grenades, 89 explosive devices, vehicles, and tactical equipment. The area remains under a security operation, supported by two helicopters and ground troops, according to sources within the security cabinet.
El Limoncito is a location with prior significance in cartel activity, notably serving as the site of the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera. The current operation unfolded in the same area, suggesting a continued effort to disrupt the operations of Los Chapitos.
Separately, authorities have as well been dismantling clandestine drug laboratories associated with the cartel in the Culiacán area. Semar recently destroyed a narcolaboratory linked to “Los Mayitos,” a cell within the Sinaloa Cartel, in the Corral Viejo community. Two other laboratories were disabled near the Cedros settlement, resulting in the seizure of tons of precursor chemicals, including phenyl-2 propanone (P2P), benzyl chloride, and acetone, as well as significant quantities of tartaric acid, caustic soda, and sodium cyanide.
The laboratories contained reactors, distillers, tanks, and other equipment used in the production of synthetic drugs. The scale of the chemical seizures indicates a substantial manufacturing capacity within the region.
