Mexico's Sinaloa bans Halloween costumes amid cartel violence

By Raul Cortes

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In the Mexican state of Sinaloa, authorities have ordered residents not to don masks or costumes on Thursday night for Halloween to avoid being confused with criminals amid a worsening cycle of cartel violence.

Home to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, the northwestern state has been wracked by deadly infighting between factions of the group following the arrest of one of its leaders, drug trafficker Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, in the United States in late July.

The intra-cartel warfare has left hundreds of people dead or missing since September, and the federal government has deployed hundreds of soldiers to the region.

"Do not wear a costume or a mask, carry plastic guns, or dress up as anyone," the state's security secretary, Gerardo Merida, instructed residents in a press conference on Wednesday, also warning people not to be on the streets late at night.

Merida said the measures were aimed at keeping people from glorifying crime and violence. Drug traffickers are popular anti-heroes in parts of Mexico, including Sinaloa.

The rules also sought to protect would-be Halloween revelers from being mistaken for criminals, Merida implied, using a famous Mexican phrase, "all cats look grey at night," which means that in the dark everything looks the same.

Last week, a shootout between soldiers and suspected gang members killed more than a dozen people.

Local authorities in other Mexican states, including Baja California and Sonora, have imposed similar measures in recent years in response to high crime rates. Sinaloa, too, has opted for such anti-Halloween rules in the past.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Sandra Maler)