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Police chief murdered in Mexico's Sinaloa state

Police chief murdered in Mexico's Sinaloa state

Colleagues pay homage to Joel Ernesto Soto, Mexico's police chief

The policechief in Mexico's Sinaloastatewas murdered on Monday while driving on a highway in the region, home to one of the country's most powerful drug cartels, authorities said.

Joel Ernesto Soto,directorof the Sinaloastatepolice, was killed "in a cowardly attack," the region's public security chief Cristobal Castaneda said on Twitter.

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Soto was killed while returning alone to thestatecapital Culiacan after spending several days with his family.

His murder comes after the Sinaloastatepolicelaunched operations against gang members earlier this month, seizing weapons and tactical equipment.

Also Read |Mexican drug lord El Chapo's wife arrested in US for drug trafficking

Sinaloa is the stronghold of notorious narco kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's cartel, and one of theMexicanstates most affected by drug-related violence.

More than 300,000 people have been murdered in Mexico since the government deployed the military tofight drug trafficking in 2006, according to authorities, who blame most of the killings on gang violence.