The charred shell of an artificial Christmas tree smolders after the fire, tile floors are covered in ash and flames still lick the charred ceiling.

The burned building was the size of an average living room and was built with a similar purpose: a place for loved ones to gather and enjoy each other's company during holidays or special occasions.

But this building isn't a home—it's a tomb in the Mexican state of Sinaloa that was allegedly targeted for arson earlier this month because it belonged to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada The family of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, known as the co-founder of the country’s most powerful drug cartel.

After decades on the run, Zambada, 78, was arrested by U.S. authorities at an airport near El Paso in July. He claimed in a letter from prison that his arrest was orchestrated by the son of his long-time associate Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman, and that since his arrest there has been a rift between rival cartel factions. A war broke out.

The cradle of Mexico's drug culture, Sinaloa has witnessed horrific violence in drug cartel battles over the past few years. However, the desecration of the grave made clear the deep animosity that developed between "El Chapo's" adult son, known as "Los Chapitos," and those who cooperated in the U.S. case against his father.

In Sinaloa, especially among the families of fallen drug traffickers, there is a custom of constructing elaborate tombs to commemorate the dead. The most gorgeous ones resemble chapels or even apartment-style apartments with air conditioning, TVs and sofas where families can spend time together in comfort. Jardines del Humaya is a sprawling cemetery on the outskirts of Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state, that contains several massive mausoleums, including one modeled after the Taj Mahal.

So far, at least two incidents of desecration have occurred. The most recent involves the Zambada tomb built for one of El Mayo's grandsons, who was said to have been killed in an ATV accident at the age of seven. He is the son of Vicente Zambada Niebla, the heir apparent to the cartel throne until his arrest in 2009 in Mexico City. After Zambada Niebra was extradited to the United States, he cooperated with federal authorities and served as a key witness during the 2019 El Chapo trial.

On January 4, someone ransacked and burned the Zambada mausoleum near Culiacán, according to sources with knowledge of recent events who asked not to be identified for fear of possible reprisals.

Days after the tomb was burned, people returned to cause more damage and remove the remains of several Zambada relatives, sources said.

Zambada Niebla is believed to be under witness protection in the United States. His attorney, Frank Perez, who also represents El Mayo, declined to comment.

Zambada Sr. has pleaded not guilty to a slew of federal charges, including murder, which could have resulted in the death penalty. Appearing before a judge on Wednesday, he told the court he believed Perez would continue to work on his case despite the potential conflict of interest of also representing his son, Zambada Niebla, if the case proceeds He may be called as a witness during the trial.

The proceedings took place in a Brooklyn courthouse, where "El Chapo" was found guilty of drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges. He is serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison, and an appeals court on January 10 rejected a last-ditch effort to overturn his conviction. Two of his sons remain at large in Mexico and are believed to be drug cartel leaders. Two others are in U.S. custody.

During a court hearing in Chicago last week, federal prosecutors said Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, and his brother Ovidio, 34, were fighting multiple pending cases. of indictments to reach a “global settlement.” Both men are accused of trafficking large amounts of fentanyl and other drugs across the border, contributing to a spike in overdose deaths in the United States. Their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

After his arrest this summer, El Meo claimed that Guzman Lopez's brother lured him to a meeting in the suburbs of Culiacán, then kidnapped him and forced him onto a plane to the United States, where he landed Federal agents are waiting.

El Meo laid out the charges in a prison statement released by his lawyers in August, concluding by calling on "the people of Sinaloa to exercise restraint and preserve peace in our state."

“Violence solves nothing,” El Meo wrote. "We've been down this road before and everyone lost."

Since then, however, regular gunfights have broken out around Culiacán, and decapitated bodies with threatening messages have been publicly displayed.

In bygone eras, cemeteries were not completely off limits. Arturo Beltrán Leyva, the drug lord known as the "Boss of Bosses," was buried in the Jardines del Humaya after he was shot dead by Mexican security forces in December 2009 ), the final resting place of many famous drug traffickers. Within weeks, a severed head appeared at his grave, a red flower tucked behind the ear, and the remains of a body in a black plastic bag nearby.

Beltrán Leyva and his brother were once close to El Chapo and Mayo, but are now engaged in all-out war with their former allies. Despite severe violence in Sinaloa, particularly in response to the government's arrest of El Chapo's son, a long-standing but fragile relationship between the Zambadas, Guzmáns and other prominent cartel factions has emerged in recent years. Under the alliance, the situation in Sinaloa was relatively calm.

along with Parks mafia Now that the conflict is in tatters, at least one side appears willing to take new extreme measures to settle old scores and spread terror. No cartel faction claimed responsibility and no information was left at the scene to indicate a motive. But these goals are all about families working together against El Chapo.

In late July, shortly after El Mayo's arrest, another incident of grave destruction occurred when a group used heavy equipment to knock down a mausoleum in the city of El Dorado where Damaso Lo was buried. Remains of the family of Pez Nunez and his son Damaso Lopez Serrano. Nicknamed "El Lic" and "Mini Lic" respectively.

Lopez Nunez is a former Mexican prison officer who became El Chapo's right-hand man. He was also captured, extradited, and served as a government witness during the El Chapo trial, where he testified in exchange for leniency in his own case.

Videos circulating online showed that the facade of the Eldorado Mausoleum had been reduced to rubble and the structure was severely damaged. Some reports say remains have been exhumed there. Mexico's then-President Andres Manuel López Obrador confirmed at a news conference that the tomb had been destroyed, but denied that it reflected a deeper conflict in Sinaloa and surrounding states. problem.

"The most sacred thing is life and we have to take care of it, protect it," López Obrador said. "We are paying attention. There is nothing strange or special about this whole area."

López Serrano surrendered at the Mexicali-Calexico border crossing in 2017 amid a battle between his family's drug cartel and Los Chapitos. He cooperated with federal investigators, pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in San Diego and was sentenced to prison time in 2022.

"I know I'm going to be a completely different person than I was before," Lopez-Serrano told the court at the time. "I'm asking you to give me a chance to start a new life."

But court records show that on December 14, federal authorities in the Eastern District of Virginia filed a criminal complaint against Lopez-Serrano, accusing him of trafficking in fentanyl. He remains incarcerated and his case is pending. His attorney, Matthew Lombard, declined to comment.

López Serrano, 37, is wanted by Mexican authorities, who identify him as a suspect in the 2017 killing of prominent Sinaloa journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas. Mastermind". Mexican lawyer. Gen. Alejandro Getz told a news conference last month that the United States considered Lopez Serrano a "protected witness" and had refused to hand him over "countless times."

Valdez, 50, received an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists and is known for his unflinching reporting on crime in a country that remains one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists. He was shot 12 times in broad daylight near the offices of his weekly newspaper, Rio Doce.

Lopez Nunez testified during El Chapo's 2019 trial that Valdez published a story against the wishes of El Chapo's sons, who allegedly had people following delivery trucks in an attempt to get the paper to newsstands Before snatching the newspaper.

"My son and I are innocent of this man's murder," Lopez Nunez said. "He disobeyed the threatening orders that were actually given to him by the sons of my comrades, and that's why he was killed."

Valdez also recently wrote a column describing Lopez Serrano as a "weekend shooter" and questioning his suitability to take over the drug cartel following his father's arrest.

Two of the killers, allegedly from Lopez Serrano's drug cartel, have been convicted in Mexican courts. In 2018, a third suspect was found murdered.

After a Mexican judge issued a warrant for his arrest in 2020, Lopez-Serrano issued a statement through his lawyer: "These accusations are baseless and reckless. I am reporting on I have no involvement or role in his death. I am confident that I can prove my innocence, but I am concerned that this charge is being manipulated solely to influence me and be used to extradite me to Mexico."

Valdez's friends and colleagues, as well as international press freedom advocates, have been urging Lopez Serrano to stand trial for the murder or for U.S. authorities to release any evidence that might support the belief that El Chapo's sons are indeed responsible for the murder. responsible charges.

Ismael Bojórquez, Valdez's editor at RioDoce, called on the United States to extradite López Serrano once his latest case is resolved. He said Mexican prosecutors had a strong case and a conviction would send a powerful message about ending impunity.

"Ninety-seven percent of attacks against journalists in this country go unpunished," Bohorquez said, citing government statistics. "The fight for justice in Havel's case is always very important to us. "If we know of an intellectual writer who didn't pay for (ordering) Havel's crimes, it's a matter of basic justice that we want him to pay."