Recent violence in Mazatlan

[kj_connections]

As of Jan 5, 2023 there has been a surge of violence in Mazatlan with airports being blocked by cartels.  Is anyone currently visiting Mazatlan or planning to do so in the very near future? Please report back on what the safety is like near the cruise port

 

Thanks

[macfam5]

1 hour ago, kj_connections said:

As of Jan 5, 2023 there has been a surge of violence in Mazatlan with airports being blocked by cartels.  Is anyone currently visiting Mazatlan or planning to do so in the very near future? Please report back on what the safety is like near the cruise port

 

Thanks

I was wondering the same thing as we are cruising the Mexican Riveria in one month. Mazatlan being one of the ports

[freshjive1479]

We are also heading to Mazatlan on our cruise in early February. Definitely seeing how this will play out.

[wildcats40]

We were just there and didn’t have any issues.  We were with a ship excursion.  

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, wildcats40 said:

We were just there and didn’t have any issues.  We were with a ship excursion.  

Unless you were there yesterday (Thursday) you missed the big mess.  The Sinoloa Cartel (which practically rules that part of Mexico) is on the war path and heaven help anyone who gets in the crossfire.  They are quite "upset" that El Chapo's son has been arrested (again).

 

Hank

[CruiserBruce]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Unless you were there yesterday (Thursday) you missed the big mess.  The Sinoloa Cartel (which practically rules that part of Mexico) is on the war path and heaven help anyone who gets in the crossfire.  They are quite "upset" that El Chapo's son has been arrested (again).

 

Hank

So, as I understand it, the "surge" is one incident, correct?

[Cousin Eddie]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

So, as I understand it, the "surge" is one incident, correct?

No the current violence is not a single incident. It is large scale civil unrest stemming from the arrest of the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. This has resulted in essentially full scale battle between the cartel and the armed forces. Some Mexican news sources are reporting that 10 military members and as many as 19 cartel combatants were killed in fighting yesterday. An AeroMexico passenger plane was shot and damaged in flight by small arms fire. The cartels set up road blocks across the state and burned businesses and cars. While we often see crime and violence overblown as it relates to tourist areas in Mexico,  it would be asinine to dismiss the current situation as a singular incident and ignore dramatic rise in danger at this time.

violence-hits-mexico-cartel-stronghold-as-chapo-son-nabbed

 

cartel-violence-erupts-sinaloa-ovidio-guzman-recaptured

[Ashland]

We're going to cruise the Mexican Riviera again, leaving Jan 20th and will port stop in Mazatlan Jan 23rd. We've always felt safe taking a taxi to the central market and having a bit of lunch at the Panama Bakery. Of course we'll be playing it by ear and see how things are going then.

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

So, as I understand it, the "surge" is one incident, correct?

That would be to misunderstand the situation.  The various cartels (in Mexico) have a lot of power and routinely disagree with the government.  This is not about right or wrong but about raw power.  The Sinoloa Cartel has lots of power and ability to cause major disruptions in the part of the country where they have lots of control.  And this includes Mazatlan.  The cartel is angry, and they do not like to lose.  How this plays out in the next days and months is a question without an answer. 

 

Perhaps DW expressed it best when she said (today) that she was glad we live in Puerto Vallarta and not Mazatlan.

 

Hank

[Ine]

I am sure HAL and other lines will cancel Mazatlan in case the situation is still dangerous around there. 

[Skai]

The violence has occurred, and has been limited to in and around the city of Culiacan(135 miles/3 hrs. from Mazatlan).  The airport that was affected was also in Culiacan.

Mazatlan aiport was closed for one day by officials out of an abundance of caution.  It has since reopened.

 

It deserves to be stressed that the unrest that occured in the city of Culiacan is indeed a serious situation.  Yet, to imply that it is also occuring in the city of Mazatlan is patently incorrect.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/9393029/sense-of-normalcy-mazatlan-cartel-violence-bc-travellers/

 

It's akin to advising people in San Diego, Seattle or Quebec City to hunker down because of violent riots that are occurring in Los Angeles, Portland or Montreal.

 

Most of the violence in Mexico occurs outside of the areas where foreign tourists frequent.  Yet, much akin to the U.S., it has at times strayed into popular areas frequented by tourists.

 

Is it smart to rent a car and drive off willy-nilly into the mountains of Sinoloa as a gringo?

 

It's not advised. 

 

However,  sitting at a restaurant/bar in Zona Dorado, or Stone Island washing down some Ceviche, Aguachile or Pescado Zarandeado with some Margaritas or Pacificos...  Odds are slim-to-none that any harm will befall one as a day-tripper off of a cruise ship; any more than could occur at any port of embarkation in the U.S.

 

The cartels have no interest in attacking tourists.  Their beef is with their rivals, and the Mexican government.

Due to the importance of tourism to the Mexican economy, the Mexican government is very determined to keep cruise ship tourists as safe as possible in Mexico.  Hence, it's why they make their presence so very visible while ships are in port.

[Skai]

3 minutes ago, Skai said:

Double Post

Edited January 7, 2023 by Skai
Double Post

[sfaaa]

10 hours ago, Skai said:

 

Due to the importance of tourism to the Mexican economy, the Mexican government is very determined to keep cruise ship tourists as safe as possible in Mexico.  Hence, it's why they make their presence so very visible while ships are in port.

When I was there in Nov 2022, there were constant police presence every 4 blocks throughout the blue zone with heavily armed national guard soldiers patrolling in gun trucks. The place was well guarded like Fort Knox and seemed very safe.

Edited January 7, 2023 by sfaaa

[BargainMan]

We were in Mazatlan on 11th Jan 2023 and it was safe and normal. Get out of cruise terminal and follow the blue lines to city center. Plenty of tourists and police at every corner. We felt safe and enjoyed our stay. 

[Mike45LC]

On 1/6/2023 at 7:39 AM, kj_connections said:

As of Jan 5, 2023 there has been a surge of violence in Mazatlan with airports being blocked by cartels. 

This is a lie.  As others have already pointed out, Culiacan is NOT Mazatlan.  There has been no surge of violence in Mazatlan, just fear mongering.

 

[Ashland]

10 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

This is a lie.  As others have already pointed out, Culiacan is NOT Mazatlan.  There has been no surge of violence in Mazatlan, just fear mongering.

 

Agree...We leave for another Mexican Riviera cruise this week and have no concerns.

[lax19]

Jan 19 - Beautiful peaceful day walking around the Central district! People going about their everyday business. Small police/military presence but not much more than last November.

[Pizzasteve]

Title of thread should be update to `near` instead of 'in.'  it has been posted that violence in Mazatlan is false information.