In Beltran Leyva's wake

The fallout from Arturo Beltran Leyva's death in Mexico has begun. First, the family of a marine involved in his takedown is offed in Tabasco. The word in Culiacan is that people should stay off the streets, as it's all about to fly off the handle there.

Not surprising: if Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera did indeed have a hand in the arrest of "Mochomo" (Alfredo Beltran Leyva) back in 2008, if he did indeed have a hand in Arturo's death, then Beltran Leyva supporters in Sinaloa will likely want payback.

But... the Beltran Leyva cells are allied with Los Zetas, who lack a solid structure and hierarchy as they expand throughout the country and further separate from the Gulf cartel; the remaining Beltran Leyva brothers are not as take-charge as their two fallen kin. Chapo and El Mayo have the perfect opportunity to restore order and power in Sinaloa. My money's on Chapo to win this one.

What I do expect is more attacks by the Beltran Leyva cells on the military. An Army chopper crashed in Guerrero on Wednesday, let's see what the investigations into that reveal. Guerrero is Beltran Leyva turf after all. I reckon Chilpancingo will be getting hit hard in coming weeks, Acapulco too.

On a side note, has anyone seen pictures of Beltran Leyva's funeral? I haven't seen any published. I assume most reporters stayed safely away from the scene.