CULAICAN: The hometown of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been hit in attacks by explosive-laden drones, the governor of the northwest Mexican state of Sinaloa said on Tuesday.
Authorities did not specify when the strikes on Badiraguato, Guzman’s birthplace and the historical stronghold of drug trafficking in Mexico, took place. Displaced residents said attacks in the region began in September.
Dozens of residents were forced to leave the area, Governor Ruben Rocha Moya told a news conference.
“Drones were indeed used,” Rocha said, adding that displaced people were being assisted by the government.
Various criminal groups in Mexico use drones to attack their rivals and authorities.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has been using drones since 2020, according to a report by the Insight Crime think tank.
Some of the displaced, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that the most recent attacks targeted the La Tuna farm that belongs to Guzman’s family.
Other properties were also targeted, according to witnesses who said that more than 80 families were threatened by armed groups.
The latest drone attacks began on September 16, according to a resident of Bacacoragua, one of the municipalities of Badiraguato, who left her village in early October.
Armed men blocked access to farms and cut electricity in the area, said another witness who fled a village in the region.
AFP has contacted authorities for confirmation and to seek further details about the reports.
Guzman was sentenced in 2019 to life plus 30 years in prison.
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Hometown of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ hit by drone attacks: governor
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Hometown of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ hit by drone attacks: governor
- The hometown of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been hit in attacks by explosive-laden drones
US Homeland Security to pause two key travel programs amid shutdown, Washington Post says
- DHS began a partial shutdown last week after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms
The US Department of Homeland Security will temporarily suspend from Sunday its PreCheck and Global Entry programs that speed airport security checks for some travelers, the Washington Post said, due to a shutdown at much of the agency.
The halt in the programs run by the DHS will begin from 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), the newspaper cited an agency spokesperson as saying on Saturday.
DHS began a partial shutdown last week after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms.
The pause in programs is among the emergency measures DHS is taking to redirect staffing more than a week after Congress failed to send it more money, the paper said.
The agency is “making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions” and prioritizing the “general traveling population” at entry points, the paper cited Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as saying in a statement.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TSA’s PreCheck program allows approved passengers through a dedicated, faster security lane at US airports and is designed to reduce wait times and streamline screening.
Global Entry expedites US customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the United States.
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a part of the DHS, to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-affected areas, due to the DHS shutdown.
The halt in the programs run by the DHS will begin from 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), the newspaper cited an agency spokesperson as saying on Saturday.
DHS began a partial shutdown last week after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms.
The pause in programs is among the emergency measures DHS is taking to redirect staffing more than a week after Congress failed to send it more money, the paper said.
The agency is “making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions” and prioritizing the “general traveling population” at entry points, the paper cited Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as saying in a statement.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TSA’s PreCheck program allows approved passengers through a dedicated, faster security lane at US airports and is designed to reduce wait times and streamline screening.
Global Entry expedites US customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the United States.
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a part of the DHS, to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-affected areas, due to the DHS shutdown.
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