Earlier this week, warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel left nearly a dozen people dead in the streets of the Mexican border town of Agua Prieta, just “half a block from the border” with Douglas, Arizona, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said.
Victims of the violence, as well as several gangsters who lost the battle, are now safely in the U.S., recovering from their injuries as they apply for asylum.
The sheriff told KVOA the bloody shootout that began Monday afternoon and went into Tuesday involved an internal dispute in the Sinaloa cartel. Three injured in the shootings were taken to the port of entry and transported to American hospitals, including a 12-year-old boy who was airlifted to Tucson, he said.
“We heard … last night where one of the (gang members) shot in Agua Prieta was taken to a hospital in Mexico, in Agua Prieta,” Dannels said. “They followed him there and shot and killed him.”
Amidst the violence, four gang members from the losing faction reported to the U.S. port of entry to file for asylum, claiming “credible fear,” KVOA reports. – READ MORE