Amid a new wave of violence, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deployed her security chief and thousands of soldiers to stop a bloody escalation of drug cartel crime in Sinaloa state, Reuters reported.

On the campaign trail, Sheinbaum promised to largely continue the security policies of her mentor and predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritized addressing the root social causes of crime over attacking the cartels - an approach dubbed “hugs, not bullets” after the former president's catchphrase.

But early signs of her first months in office suggest a more aggressive approach, with the largest deployment of military and maritime forces to Sinaloa in six years, as well as special forces and heavy weaponry since the intra-cartel war erupted in September.

High-profile arrests and major drug seizures have followed, including a record fentanyl shipment weighing more than a ton.

This strategy to crack down on drugs and migrants may align well with President-elect Donald Trump, who has called on Mexico to do more to stem the flow of drugs and migrants into the US.

But it also risks leading to further violence and killings, as has happened in the past in a country where cartels are well-armed with military weapons.