By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

Sinaloa Police Chief Joel Ernesto Soto was assassinated early Monday, May 24, along the Culiacán-Los Mochis Highway, according to local authorities.

The attack occurred following a series of assaults against state police in various parts of Sinaloa, especially near Culiacán.

On May 15, Sinaloa police and the National Guard launched a joint operation against local drug lords.

That same day, violence erupted in the region, with one murdered person found inside a vehicle that had been set on fire just hours after the police operation began.

The next day, armed groups attacked a police convoy just north of Culiacán.