Mazatlan plays tonight...
"But every so often there is a not-so-subtle reminder of why this is the last place you want to be. Mazatlán is Sinaloa Cartel territory, controlled by Mexico’s largest organized crime syndicate, widely considered to be the most powerful drug tracking operation in the world. They dominate this land like Theodosius ruled Rome."
"In 2010, suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel kidnapped a rival Juárez Cartel member, killed him, dismembered him and stitched his face to a soccer ball, which they left outside the city hall in neighbouring Los Mochis. Last year, two men were gunned down outside the swanky Las Flores Resort, located in Mazatlán’s hotel-heavy Golden Zone, which is meant to be a safe haven for tourists."