48 Policemen Killed in Mexico in 2025 Amid Narcoviolence Wave

The killing of municipal police officer Jorge Luis Casillas Torres in Culiacán, Mexico, has pushed the death toll of slain officers in Sinaloa to at least 48 so far this year. The Sinaloan capital has been the epicenter of narcoviolence in the country since the arrest of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Casillas, officially dubbed Jorge Luis "N." by Mexican authorities, was a 42-year-old veteran officer who served in the city's Motorized Squadron. According to Infobae, he was attacked around 9 p.m. on the night of September 1st while driving his personal vehicle in the Villa Bonita neighborhood, located in the southern sector of the city. Armed assailants intercepted him near the intersection of Monte Athos and Urales Norte streets and opened fire.

"Police Officer Jorge Luis Casillas Torres was the victim of a shooting while driving a vehicle. This Secretariat condemns this crime and expresses its deepest sorrow for the irreparable loss of our colleague, providing support and assistance to his family in accordance with the law and institutional protocols."

"We will also fully cooperate with the State Attorney General's Office in the corresponding investigations to find those responsible," said the Secretariat of Public Security and Municipal Transit (SSPyTM) in an official statement. The SSPyTM also confirmed his long record of service and promised to continue operations in Villa Bonita and other hotspots despite the risks.

The surge in killings comes amid a bloody turf war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, split between the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, known as Los Chapitos, and the faction led by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, known as La Mayiza. This conflict has brought unprecedented levels of violence to Culiacán, where municipal officers are among the most vulnerable targets.

The murder of Casillas Torres was not an isolated case. The most recent incident occurred on August 21 when Armando Roberto Meraz Angulo, an official from the SSPyTM of Culiacán, was also shot to death in his vehicle in front of Emiliano Zapata High School. In January, Commander Juan Carlos Vázquez Ayala, a senior municipal police supervisor, was shot dead while driving in southwestern Culiacán.

The civic organization Causa en Común has tracked the nationwide trend of violence against police, showing that Sinaloa consistently ranks among the top states for officer murders. Their data shows that this year has marked a 22 percent increase in total law enforcement deaths compared to the same period in 2024.