The Culiacán Merchants Union estimates that around 300 establishments will close permanently this season, in addition to registering 60 percent fewer sales than last year; The most affected are small businesses.
Matilde works as a stylist in the capital of Sinaloa. She says that the “curfew” began when small planes dropped leaflets asking the population not to stay on the streets at night because they “were going to work.” The same message was spread through social networks.
“It is a war between two sides; They themselves have announced that they will work at night and that please try to be home before nine at night, because they are not responsible for what happens outside, or if it is your turn to be something collateral walking around. on the street,” he says.
In an interview, he explains that this violence unleashed more than three months ago has also affected his business, a beauty salon. Although the women in Culiacán are “very well-groomed,” she says, due to the confrontations they have decided to go before it gets dark, or they choose not to go; others, outright, have preferred to leave the state.
“This December is vibrating very low, the shootings don’t stop. It’s 6:30 (pm) and everyone starts running to their houses. Everyone has a curfew. Between 8:30 or 9:00 in the At night you hear gunshots, you hear (goat) horns, sometimes they last a little while,” he says.
He explains that people prefer not to go out at night because there are checkpoints in the state where criminals take people out of their cars, take them away, check their phones and even detain them to ask them “which side they are on.”
This is a very sad Christmas, a Christmas that is not going to be like other years, where you went out to dinner, now everyone is going to make their own dinner.
Matilde, stylist from Culiacán.
Faced with this wave of violence, the Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, has gone to the state several times to implement a new security strategy in conjunction with local authorities; However, the entity continues to be among the states with the highest homicide rates.
According to the daily homicide report of the federal Security Secretariat, this month alone – until the 22nd – 121 murders were recorded in the entity, a figure that represents 8% of the total in the country.
Jorge is a pilates teacher and, due to the violence generated in Sinaloa, he had to cancel his classes from 7:00 p.m. onwards, which has caused losses of up to 50% in his income.
“From seven o’clock people start going into their houses. Movement in the city is already down a lot. It (the violence in Sinaloa) affects me because my business has to do with people coming to my school to take classes. So, now we had to cut hours due to the same situation. “I don’t have students in the afternoon,” he says.
He remembers that since September the attendance of his students began to decrease, since it was that month when the increase in violence in the entity began. Now, he says, this is known as “narcopandemic”, because like the Covid-19 pandemic, this has also caused the closure of businesses and isolation in homes.
“There were between 27 to 30 students among all the groups I have and right now I have about 10, who are permanent. Sometimes in the afternoon groups there are only 2 students, it is quite lonely,” he says, which is why he adds that he has considered closing the place.
To cover his expenses, Jorge started selling pots and crafts, and has increased his time as an Uber driver, but only in the morning, as he says: “the debts don’t stop.”
From seven o’clock people start to go into their houses, (…) at night you can’t walk around anymore
Jorge, pilates teacher.
According to data from the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office, in September there were 144 murders, in October 188 and November closed with 175, a total of 507. The historic growth of the violence It is such that in just these three months the number of murders for all of 2023 has already been exceeded, a year in which 492 intentional homicides were recorded.
This violence derives from the arrest of drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on July 25 in the United States, for a betrayal by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Rosa has a design company in Sinaloa. Given the crisis of violence that is being experienced in the state, its sales have decreased, since the majority of its clients are dedicated to decorating events, such as 15th birthday parties, weddings or birthdays.
“When the issue of violence arises, people are afraid to have parties or be outside their homes after 8 at night,” he laments.
He explains that now these festivities have been postponed or canceled, so this has affected him, since the organizers do not buy anything from them. Remember that in September and October their sales dropped up to 60% compared to previous months; while in December “it already went up a little.”
She comments that due to the decrease in sales, she has had to use a savings fund that she has to pay the salaries of the 13 people who work for her, because if she did not do so, she would have cut staff.
“If I had not had that savings fund, I think I would have had to cut staff. I have looked a lot for a way to support myself. I am looking for various alternatives through social networks. If it is possible to send the products through DiDi to make it easier for customers to avoid having to travel from their homes to the point of sale,” he says.
Rosa warns that the last few months are the only ones that she has had losses, since before she registered monthly growth of up to 20%.
As long as I can maintain the business with the savings fund, I am going to maintain it, because I have hope that this will change and that it is momentary.
Rosa, owner of a design company.
Coparmex Sinaloa estimates that in these three months of “narcopademia” the losses in the commerce, services and tourism sectors amount to at least 18,000 million pesos.
In interview with Political ExpansionMartha Reyes, president of this employer organization in the state, commented that, although in December with the payment of the bonuses the culichis went out to buy gifts, they will still register losses because the businesses have had low sales.
“These days, after the bonuses began to be paid, people went out to buy the details. Although the government gave some support of up to 20 thousand pesos to micro, small and some medium-sized businesses, it is insufficient. It was an aspirin to be able to pay the electricity bill or the rent for the premises. Support from social security to defer the social security fee for 30 days,” he comments.
Reyes considers that during November and December there has been an uptick in sales due to the season, but not like other years; In addition, companies continue to work only during the day, with an opening of approximately 60%, because the “nights continue not to recover.”
“Between 5 and 6:30 (in the afternoon) 50% of the people are already at home and by 7:30, 80% are already at home. That prevents people from buying. The stores now close at 6:00 in the afternoon. There has not been a rebound, but we are not as bad as we were in October,” he declares.
“Businessmen are waiting to see what actions the government is going to take regarding security that will allow us to remain open in January without putting at risk like what is happening right now, where there have been quite a few fires,” he adds.
