Elite Unit Arrives to Reinforce Security Push

Ninety members of the Mexican Army's Special Forces Command, nicknamed Los Murciélagos (The Bats), touched down in Culiacán on June 3 to strengthen security operations throughout Sinaloa, according to reporting from Infobae and La Jornada. The contingent flew from Military Air Base No. 1 in Santa Lucía to the military installation in Culiacán.

The National Defense Ministry outlined the unit's mandate as reinforcing operational deployments while conducting deterrence, prevention, and patrol activities in coordination with federal, state, and municipal authorities. Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch and interim governor Yeraldine Bonilla announced the operation jointly.

Deployment Follows Violent Weekend

The reinforcement came on the heels of June 2, when authorities opened ten murder investigations across different regions of the state, La Jornada reports. Official figures cited by Infobea show 522 homicides in Sinaloa during the first five months of 2026, with an average of 3.9 killings per day in May alone. The weekend of June 5 to 7 saw 32 new murder investigations opened, the highest count among all Mexican states.

Expanding the Military Presence

The Murciélagos will join existing deployments of Army troops, the Air Force, and the National Guard, all operating under the parameters of Mexico's National Use of Force Law, the Defense Ministry stated in its announcement.

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