Although Colombia, Bolivia and Peru have traditionally been the most notable South American countries in the cocaine trade, in recent times; Venezuela as well as Ecuador have stepped up their involvement in the trade, with the Venezuelan organization Cartel of the Suns poising concern to authorities abroad as well as the increase in the size of recent cocaine seizures in Ecuador. Sinaloa Cartel. [84] Following the discovery of a tunnel system used to smuggle drugs across the Mexican/US border, the group has also been associated with such means of trafficking.[9][86]. [25] The geographic presence of Mexican cartels in Colombia seems to directly coincide with areas where coca crops are more abundant or with strategic narcotrafficking corridors: the Pacific coast of Nario, Catatumbo, Bajo Cauca in Antioquia, Norte del Cauca, and Magdalena.[25]. [65] Despite trafficking various types of illicit substances, the cartel's operations seem to mostly favor the trade of cocaine and opioids, particularly in a distribution hub like Chicago, where demand for methamphetamine is relatively low. The battles between these organizations began almost immediately. [131][132], Similar to the "Taj Mahal" of drug tunnels discovered on Otay Mesa in 1993,[125] the 2006 drug "super tunnel" was traced back to the Sinaloa Cartel. [71][72] Various sources alleged that internal conflicts for the cartel's total leadership had broken out between the Guzmn and Zambada factions of the organization, however newer sources as of November 2022 have claimed that these two sides of the cartel have recently reconciled their differences and are planning to work together to take on the Jalisco Cartel. [157] The presence of the cartel in the Philippines has worsened the ongoing war between drug lords, drug cartels and the government in that country. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Since 2013, the cartel has been operating in the Philippines after a raid on a ranch in Lipa, Batangas, according to a statement by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Arthur Cacdac, and have entered the country without notice. Nor does the selectivity and calibration of Sinaloa's use of violence mean that the Cartel, including El Chapo, have shied away from brutal torture of captured internal or external enemies, as . Police stand guard behind a parapet of sandbags, at the entrance to Santa Rosa de Lima, birthplace of a local cartel that goes by the same name, in Guanajuato state, Mexico on Feb. 12, 2020. However, Zambada also used this conflict to his advantage since the Mexican government began to crackdown primarily on the Tijuana Cartel, Mayo used this weakening of his rivals as an opportunity for Sinaloa to step up in the trafficking world. The Sinaloa Cartel, often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, is an alliance of some of Mexico's top capos. the members of The Cartel Project mean to send a powerful message to enemies of the free press . Cartel De Sinaloa | CSN -Approved by Heck All content is limited to FiveM, not real life. According to reports at the time, it was responsible for the majority of illegal drugsnotably marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetaminesthat were smuggled from Mexico into its northern neighbour, and in 2015 U.S. officials claimed that Sinaloa controlled the drug markets in almost every state. A DEA agent in the same trial alleged that Fierro-Mendez had contacts with a Mexican military officer. [47] In this region, black tar heroin has often been referred to as the black goat. [45] The dead included Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jess Posadas Ocampo. They were, in essence, a small group of farming families that lived in rural parts of the state. Vicente Zambada was responsible for coordinating multi-ton cocaine shipments from Central and South American countries, through Mexico, and into the United States for the Sinaloa Cartel. After a few days of the state elections of June 6, a war in the Golden Triangle, which is made up of a new cartel that entered the area and is contesting the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. . [147], Before his arrest, Vicente Zambada Niebla ("El Vicentillo"), son of Ismael Zambada Garca ("El Mayo"), played a key role in the Sinaloa Cartel. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Sinaloa Cartel (Spanish: Crtel de Sinaloa),[48][49] also known as the CDS, the Guzmn-Zambada Organization, the Pacific Cartel,[50] the Federation and the Blood Alliance,[51][52][53] is a large, international organized crime syndicate that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering. The country's overcrowded prison system and the COVID-19 pandemic has apparently dominated much of the government's attention and focus recently, thus allowing the gang to more easily grow and consolidate power. [161][162], In March 2009, the Mexican Government announced the deployment of 1,000 Federal Police officers and 5,000 Mexican Army soldiers to restore order in Ciudad Jurez, which has suffered the highest number of casualties in the country. In contrast, El Mayo's sons have either all been arrested and jailed in the United States or seem to be lying low. At the time, the power of the Colombian cartels was declining, partly because of the deaths of various drug lords, notably Pablo Escobar (died 1993), and the U.S. crackdown on drug trafficking in the Caribbean, then the preferred route for transporting drugs into the United States. The leader of the CJNG, Nemesio Oseguera, the Mencho, was a hitman of Orlando the Lobo Nava Valencia, ringleader of the extinct Millennium Cartel, which in turn was the . [151][152][153], In 2013, the Chicago Crime Commission named Joaquin "Chapo" Guzmn "Public Enemy No. [149] To coordinate operations in the southeast US, Atlanta has emerged as a major distribution center and accounting hub and the presence of the Sinaloa Cartel there has brought ruthless violence to that area. Revealed: how Mexico's Sinaloa cartel has created a global network to rule the fentanyl trade. The article was picked up by, Our coverage of the arrest of Chapitos co-founder Ovidio Guzmn Lpez in Mexico has received worldwide attention.In the UK, outlets includingThe IndependentandBBC. NPR's reporters interviewed dozens of officials and ordinary people for the journalistic investigation. The core of the group, theBLO, split from the rest in 2008. Funky town of course. The boldness of the Mexican traffickers became evident when they murdered undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique Camarena in 1985. Since 2011 they have evolved to become one of the Ecuador's fiercest prison gangs due to the leader being incarcerated for nearly 8 years. [108][65] And despite their fierce rivalry, the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels are reportedly sourcing precursor chemicals from the very same suppliers to produce fentanyl. 1. [57][60][70] After the arrest of Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn and his son Ovidio Guzmn Lpez, the cartel is now headed by old-school leader Ismael Zambada Garca (aka El Mayo) and Guzmn's other sons, Jess Alfredo Guzmn and Ivan Archivaldo Guzmn Salazar. In recent years, the Sinaloa Cartel has become embroiled in a series of violent turf wars. The PAN's Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon launched numerous offensives against trafficking organizations, and some major leaders have been captured, including Osiel Crdenas Guilln, head of the Gulf Cartel, and Benjamin Arellano Flix, head of the Tijuana Cartel. The group has expanded rapidly . Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels: Competing or Collaborating? The tunnel was described by the DEA in San Diego as the "Taj Mahal" of drug tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border and was linked to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmn. The current rate of production and sale of methamphetamine in Mexico is also a result of the so-called "new era" of fully-synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking. [95], In current times, it is believed that while Guzmn's relatives and friends scramble for marginal leadership positions in the organization, the real top leader is still Ismael Zambada whom allegedly mediates power between them and allows them an umbrella of the organization to work under his reign with seemingly, relative autonomy. Members of the Zetas being presented in Mexico City by the navy - they were alleged of being involved in the San Fernando massacre Credit: Associated Press. [51][4] It also has a notable presence in a number of other regions in Latin America, such as Colombia; as well as in cities across the U.S.[6][25] The United States Intelligence Community generally considers the Sinaloa Cartel to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, making it perhaps even more influential and capable than Pablo Escobars infamous Medelln Cartel of Colombia was during its prime. [54][55][47] It is currently headed by Ismael Zambada Garca and is based in the city of Culiacn, Sinaloa,[56] with operations in many world regions but primarily in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Baja California, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua. Yeshua Ben Yosef told his followers to "Turn away from Sin, to abandon Sin, to refuse to participate in the world of Sin ." Christians are too brainwashed to realize, Sin is the name of the ruler of Earth and the God of Jerusalem. Secrets of Mexico's Drug War", "Lieutenant in Mexican drug cartel a wanted man", "Mexico arrests 'drug lord' Edgar Valdez", "Univision, Netflix 'El Chapo' Series Sets April Premiere", "The legend of 'El Chapo': Hiding in plain sight? LOS ZETAS CARTEL Founded: 1999 Originally part of: Gulf Cartel Allies: Beltrn-Leyva Cartel, Jurez Cartel, Tijuana Cartel Enemies: Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel, La Familia Cartel PRESENCE Controls over 11 states, the Zetas have the largest territory in Mexico Also, Zetas have a presence in the U.S.A. & Guatemala WANTED "EL LAZCA" OR . [25] According to the Ombudsman's Office, an autonomous institution under the Colombian Office of the Attorney General; in the first two months of 2021, violent events (augmented by Mexican trafficking groups) displaced more than 11,000 people from their communities within Colombia. The fallen man's hands are bound and his chest looks like it has been torn open.Shocking cellphone footagecaptured in broad daylightshows the . In 2019 he was found guilty on various charges, including drug trafficking. The remaining factions established bases in various parts of Mexico. The Sinaloa Cartel's tentacles stretch from New York City to Buenos Aires and almost every major city in between. 1, a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico, through a tunnel in his prison cell. It was a telling day to bestow the measure of dishonor, a nod to the . Since then, the cartel has extended its reach across the whole of Mexico, aside from the areas controlled by the Sinaloa cartel. Powerful figures in the Guadalajara organization, the two men became leaders in the Sinaloa cartel. Following the 2004 assassination of journalist Roberto Javier Mora Garca from El Maana newspaper, much of the local media has been cautious about their reporting of the fighting. Desperados: Latin drug lords, U.S. lawmen, and the war America can't win. The CDS is also battling La Linea teamed with the CJNG in Ciudad Juarez. The characteristics of the system are strategies . The cartel was founded in 1989 when Mexican smugglers Hctor Palma Salazar, Juan Jos Esparragoza Moreno and Joaqun Guzmn Loera splintered from the Guadalajara Cartel. In March 2015, BBC TV programme This World broadcast an episode entitled "Secrets of Mexico's Drug War"[177] which reported on the US government's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Operation Fast and Furious which had allowed licensed firearms dealers to sell weapons to illegal buyers acting on behalf of Mexican drug cartel leaders, in particular the Sinaloa Cartel. [115] In this northern regional area of illicit production (See: clandestine chemistry), several important cities in its production and trade, such as Culiacn, Tijuana, Ensenada and San Luis Ro Colorado consistently see the highest amount of law enforcement seizures for fentanyl, typically in kilograms (powder) or pressed pills. [citation needed] Another source in the story was the U.S. trial of Manuel Fierro-Mendez, an ex-Juarez police captain who admitted to working for the Sinaloa Cartel. Barron had received intelligence that Guzmn would be arriving in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car. Report abuse . [69] The cartel has also been known to use blind mules, particularly for the smuggling and transporting of fentanyl into and throughout the U.S., oftentimes with the mules not even knowing what they're trafficking. The Sinaloa cartel chief Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn was captured for the final time in January 2016. Ovidio Guzmn's arrest may be the start of a campaign against El Chapo's sons and the Sinaloa cartel. [105] In the summer of 2021, this apparently led to Los Angeles County's largest marijuana bust in its history.[105][106][107]. By 2006, the Sinaloa Cartel had eliminated all competition across the 528km of the Arizona border. Drug enforcement experts estimate, conservatively, that the cartel's annual revenues exceed $3 billion: more than those of the . It is based in Culiacn, Sinaloa state, Mexico. [15] The Nuevo Laredo region is an important drug trafficking corridor into Laredo, Texas, where as much as 40% of all Mexican exports pass through into the U.S. New York: Viking. On the contrary, based on seizure reports, the Sinaloa Cartel appears to be the most active smuggler of cocaine. The death of Camarena was the beginning of the end of the Guadalajara Cartel. In the shootout that followed, six civilians were killed by the hired gunmen from Logan Heights. Nearly all of the trafficking organizations in Mexico have their origins in the region. Battles between the Sinoloa and Los Zetas cartels have left a bloody legacy in the streets of Nuevo Leon. The corrupt cops allegedly had a deal that entitled them to half the value of any drug shipment taken from an opposing cartel thanks to their information. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [98] However, during the second wave of America's opioid epidemic in the mid-2010s, which was driven largely by heroin; the prevalence and trafficking of fentanyl began to increase exponentially leading to the third wave and eventually turning into the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. Google Sites. This has predictably resulted in a surge of accidental overdose deaths in the U.S.[65][66][67] Additionally, the city of San Diego in Southern California has reportedly now become America's epicenter for fentanyl trafficking according to some federal officials, as reported by local news. April 30, 2021 3:06 PM PT. The Sinaloa Cartel is a powerful and violent Mexican drug trafficking organization based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Nepomuceno Moreno was an activist who sought justice for the disappearance of his son and joined the Mexican Indignados Movement, led by the poet Javier Sicilia. Flix Gallardo, following his imprisonment, bestowed the Guadalajara Cartel to his nephews in the Tijuana Cartel. When the jet landed at the Tijuana airport, both police and military units failed to cordon off the aircraft and the gunmen escaped. January 12, 2022 December 24, 2021 by americanpost. One of these cartels (called plazas at the time) was Sinaloa, with the city of Culiacn acting as its headquarters. After the breakaway of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) in 2008, El Chapo became the most visible head of the Sinaloa Cartel, although he was joined at the top table by El Mayo and Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno, alias "El Azul." The cartels have pressured reporters to send messages and wage a media war. -2012), which was continued by Enrique Pea Nieto until 2018, the relatively fledgling JNGC was busy taking over its enemies' turf. same cartel runs Durango . [116][117], According to the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit in Mexico City, as of 2020 the cartel has palpable territory within the Mexican regions of Sinaloa, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Durango, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Edomex, Mexico City, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Colima, Aguascalientes, Quertaro, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatn and Quintana Roo. [45], In retaliation, the Tijuana Cartel attempted to set up Guzmn at Guadalajara airport on 24 May 1993. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Purportedly, a larger percentage of Mexican methamphetamine is now made from entirely synthetic precursors instead of the natural compound ephedrine. The 300 feet (91m) tunnel was discovered in May 1990. From there it is smuggled north to Mexico and later into the U.S.[26] A very large percentage of the cocaine that gets trafficked through Mexico comes through Guatemala first. In December 2013, three suspected members of the cartel were arrested in Lipa in Batangas province in the Philippines with 84 kilograms of methamphetamine.[156][169]. McDermotts words were republished around the world,, Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafo, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. history. [91] On 29 July 2010, Ignacio Coronel was killed in a shootout with the Mexican military in Zapopan, Jalisco. This caused most of the organization's activities to be controlled and influenced directly from prison where the gang continued to recruit new members. Since then, there has been an internal power struggle between Ismael Zambada Garcia, alias "El Mayo," and El Chapo's sons, known as "Los Chapitos." One report quotes a former Juarez police commander who claimed the entire department was working for the Sinaloa Cartel and helping it to fight other groups. [145], In January 2008 the cartel allegedly split into a number of warring factions, which is a major cause of the epidemic of drug violence Mexico has seen in the last year. So strong is the perception that the PAN favors the Sinaloa Cartel that Mexican justice officials issued a press release in 2010 denying it, while the Calderon government produced avideoin 2011 with the same intention. As stated by Sedena, "El Mueco" worked as an administrator under Joaqun Guzmn Loera[166] and is believed to be responsible for the death of the activist Nepomuceno Moreno. The Sinaloa cartel was once led by the notorious drug boss known as Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn. [125][126] It was five times longer than the Agua Prieta-Douglas tunnel and became the first of a series of drug "super tunnels" in Otay Mesa originating in and around the Tijuana airport through the former Ejido Tampico. 1 nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid fentanyl . Led by notorious drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn until his capture in 2016, the cartel has developed into one of the most powerful drug trafficking cartels in the world. [25], Pedro Avils Prez was a pioneer drug lord in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in the late 1960s. [citation needed] By the mid-1990s, according to one court opinion, the Sinaloa organization was believed to be the size of the Medelln Cartel during its prime. [74], At the time of his arrest on 5 January 2023, El Chapo son Ovidio Guzmn was believed to be the leader of the cartel's Chapitos faction. It was discovered as Mexican and San Diego officials were discussing the creation of a cross-border airport between Tijuana and Otay Mesa which would have undermined the drug tunneling operations in the area (see History of the Cross Border Xpress). US pressure forced Mexican authorities to act, and the leaders of the cartel fled. [25] The cartel however also appears to still have major methamphetamine operations in cities throughout the U.S., such as in San Diego and Atlanta. It relies on eight "plaza" bosses, leaders of a specific geographic region along the corridor, to coordinate, direct, and support the flow of narcotics north into the United States. According to the Sedena he is the assumed assassin of activist Nepomuceno Moreno Nez, which occurred 28 November 2011. [25] Nearly 85% of Colombia's coca is grown within just five departments in the nation. She served as a key link between the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and Colombia's Norte del Valle Cartel before she was arrested and extradited to the U.S. in 2012. Corrections? During the leadership of Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn and Ismael Zambada Garca, the multi-billion dollar international drug trafficking empire supposedly controlled at least 91% of the world's heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana trade, regularly exporting multi-ton shipments of narcotics to the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. When the Mexican government failed to indemnify the ejidatarios for their lost farmland, they reoccupied a 79 hectares (200 acres) portion of the Tijuana airport and threatened armed conflict. Also quoted was a Mexican reporter who claimed hearing numerous times from the public that the military had been involved in murders. "[88] When Hctor Luis Palma Salazar was arrested on 23 June 1995, by the Mexican Army, his partner Joaqun Guzmn Loera took leadership of the cartel. [113] In the coastal city of Mazatln, it reportedly takes as little as eight days for the precursor chemicals to move from a Pacific Ocean delivery to hidden cartel labs, then north across the U.S. On 8 January 2016, Guzman was arrested again during a raid on a home in the city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel were traditionally considered allies but as of 2021, this alliance has reportedly fizzled out as the two groups now battle each other in the state of Zacatecas with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel now siding with the Gulf to fight against Sinaloa. Possibly fearing extradition to the United States, Guzmn escaped from prison in 2001. El Chapo, El Azul and El Mayo all maintained their own separate but cooperating organizations, while the cartel's operations in foreign countries, and even within Mexico, are often outsourced to local partners. However, the days of big cartels in Mexico may be numbered. [109] Fentanyl is chemically classified as a phenylpiperidine in its molecular structure, unlike the more traditional morphinan poppy-derived opiates such as codeine, morphine and even the closely related hydrocodone and heroin (diacetylmorphine).