US identifies 5 active battles between Mexican cartels

A report to the United States Congress identified five wars currently being waged in Mexico by drug and crime cartels.

It is about the battles between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) against the Sinaloa Cartel; the CJNG against The Zetas; Sinaloa vs. Juarez Cartel; The Zetas vs. Gulf Carteland the CJNG against local groups.

In the document “Mexico: Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations”, prepared by the United States Congressional Research Service (CRS), it was mentioned that the first battle (CJNG against Sinaloa) takes place in the states of Sonora, Zacatecas, Baja California, Quintana Roo, where in recent months the most violent confrontations and with the most homicides have been recorded so far this year.

The second active battle in the country (CJNG against Zetas), takes place in the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, while the third fight (Sinaloa against Juárez) takes place mainly in Chihuahua, and the fourth battle (Zetas against the Gulf Cartel) in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí.

Meanwhile, the fifth confrontation between the CJNG and local groups took place in the states of Oaxaca, Michoacán and the State of Mexico; It is known that members of the Familia Michoacana operate in these last two entities.

When identifying the territory that each cartel occupies, the report mentioned that the CJNG occupies the corridors of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, Baja California Sur and Querétaro, while the Sinaloa Cartel does so in the so-called Golden Triangle between Sinaloa and Durango. while in the states of Guerrero (Los Rojos, Guerreros Unidos, Los Ardillos), Guanajuato (Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and León Cartel), Morelos (Beltrán Leyva), Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and Puebla, local groups operate. The report mentioned that in total, there would be up to 543 armed subgroups operating in Mexico.

Sinaloa cartel divided into four factions

The report mentioned that the Sinaloa Cartel is currently operated by four factions. One directed by Ishmael “El Mayo” Zambada; another by Aureliano Guzmán Loera alias “El Guano”, brother of Chapo; a third headed by a co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, whom he did not identify; and a fourth fraction by the four sons of El Chapo (Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar), collectively known as “Los Chapitos”.

He mentioned that after the extradition to the US and the life sentence of “El Chapo” in the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel faced many challenges both inside and outside. He mentioned that last year there was a friction between the frictions of Los Chapitos and El Mayo.

“Some analysts have warned that Sinaloa remains powerful given its international dominance, its infiltration of the highest levels of the Mexican government, and its resilient structure. Other analysts maintain that Sinaloa is in decline, citing its factional rift and its conflict with the CJNG. The CJNG is considered by numerous authorities to be the most expansive cartel (although not necessarily the most powerful) within Mexico,” he said.

He recalled that the United States Treasury Department sanctioned “The May” in December 2021, and the State Department announced a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest. While the children of “El Chapo” they were also sanctioned as specially designated drug traffickers and are facing federal drug charges; the State Department has offered a $5 million reward for each child.

“The DEA estimated that the Sinaloa Cartel demonstrated the greatest capacity to manufacture fentanyl in hidden laboratories; therefore, the DEA estimates that it is a major driver of fentanyl trafficking to the United States,” he said.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel

Originally known as the “Mata Zetas,” the CJNG made its first appearance in 2011 with a roadside display of 35 bodies of suspected members of Los Zetas. It now has its operations base in Jalisco and extends to Colima, Michoacán, State of Mexico, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Baja California Sur and Querétaro.

According to the report, the CJNG served as the armed group of the Sinaloa Cartel until the summer of 2013 when its first leader, Víctor Hugo “El Tornado” Delgado Rentería, was arrested, who was later replaced by the current leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “The Menco”. In January 2014, his son, Rubén Oseguera “El Menchito”, who is believed to be the second in command of the CJNG, was arrested and extradited.

“Despite leadership losses, the CJNG has expanded its geographic reach and maintained cohesion while managing infighting with factions of the Sinaloa organization. It is considered an extremely powerful cartel, with a presence in 27 of 32 Mexican states in 2020. Its reputation for extreme and intimidating violence continues.

“The ambush of the Mexico City police chief, Omar García Harfuchat the end of June 2020 was preceded by threats against him and against the governor of the state of Jalisco (Aristotle Sandoval). Press reports indicate that CJNG attacks on public officials in Jalisco exceed 100 murders, with victims including legislators; federal, state and local police; soldiers and, supposedly, the secretary of tourism of Jalisco.

“The DEA considers the CJNG to be one of the main threats to the United States and the best armed criminal group in Mexico. He offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho, who is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima. He is a former police officer, who once served time for heroin trafficking in California. The CJNG was the target of a large DEA operation in March 2020, which resulted in some 600 arrests. While searching for El Mencho in late 2021, Mexican authorities arrested his wife, Rosalinda González Valencia. The arrest is presumed to be an indication of continued efforts to keep up the pressure on the CJNG,” she stated.

Juarez Cartel

The report by the US Congressional Research Service noted that the Juárez Cartel could be divided and in a fight for its own control over Ciudad Juárez and the state of Chihuahua in general.

Although not as expansive as other Mexican cartels, Juárez and its powerful subsidiary, La Línea, retain extensive influence in the border state of Chihuahua,” he said.

He said that this cartel has a position on the border that facilitates drug trafficking of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana from Ciudad Juárez to El Paso, Texas.

The Michoacan Family

The report highlighted that although it is considered an officially dissolved criminal organization, the Familia Michoacana (LFM) remains in operation after the 2011 arrest of its leader José de Jesús Méndez Vargas, alias “El Chango.”

He indicated that the remaining cells of the Family continue to be active in trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion in Guerrero, the States of Mexico, and some areas of Mexico City.

“Observers report that LFM was largely driven out of Michoacán by the Knights Templar, although a group calling itself the Nueva Familia Michoacán (The New Michoacán Family) has reportedly been active in parts of Guerrero and Michoacán. LFM has specialized in the production and smuggling of methamphetamine, along with the trafficking of other synthetic drugs. He has also trafficked marijuana and cocaine. The DEA maintains that, in some cases, LFM has developed links with the CJNG. In the Tierra Caliente region, it has alliances with the CJNG or Sinaloa,” he detailed.

Los Zetas, Northeast and Gulf Cartel

He stressed that after the arrest of its main operators, the Los Zetas organization was pulverized into factions. The most prominent is the Northeast Cartel, who continue to traffic a variety of drugs, including heroin and cocaine, through distribution centers in Laredo, Dallas, and New Orleans, in addition to their illicit activities in Mexico such as fuel theft. , extortion, trafficking and kidnapping of migrants, among others.

He said that the DEA maintains that the Gulf Cartel, which traditionally focused on cocaine trafficking and marijuana trade, now specializes in heroin and cocaine and has its “power base” in Tamaulipas and the central state of Zacatecas. and may have alliances in some states with the CJNG.

Remnants of Los Beltrán Leyva

The report mentioned that since 2010, splinter organizations of the Los Beltrán Leyva organization (OBL) have emerged, such as Guerreros Unidos and Los Rojos.

“Guerreros Unidos traffics cocaine as far north as Chicago but reportedly operates primarily in the central and Pacific states of Guerrero, Mexico and Morelos. The Guerreros Unidos, according to authorities from the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, murdered 43 future Mexican teachers in Ayotzinapa, who were handed over to them by local authorities in Guerrero, and then burned their bodies. Like other organizations, the BLO was believed to have infiltrated the upper levels of government for at least part of its history, but has likely come to a significant end after Mexican authorities arrested many of its leaders.

The Reds

The CRS report mentioned that Los Rojos is an organization that broke away from the Beltrán Leyva cartel in 2010.

“Los Rojos have operated primarily in Guerrero and have relied heavily on kidnapping and extortion for income as well as cocaine trafficking, although some analysts have questioned the extent of their drug trade. In early 2022, a Mexican judge sentenced eight Los Rojos gang members to 48 years for kidnapping and enforced disappearances (violation of burial and exhumation laws). The DEA maintains that Los Rojos operates in Guerrero, Morelos and other Mexican states. Although this cartel is identified as a significant TCO, the DEA in 2021 noted that some analysts maintain that this is not a significant organization.”

Finally, the report stated that the increase and spread of violence and cartel activity in Mexico is indicative of three dynamic changes.

“First, the older big cartels have fragmented, giving rise to increasingly adaptable, agile and competitively violent criminal organizations. As new criminal organizations and cartels, such as the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel grow and consolidate their power, they increasingly compete for established drug plazas and create new drug plazas.

“Secondly, the fragmentation of the cartels has created the circumstances for the geographic expansion of the cartels, which has led to a greater territorial dispute over drug markets. Territorial control of drug markets is essential for the two main objectives of the cartels: perpetuation and profit. As more cartels and criminal organizations compete for territory, violent conflicts within and outside the cartels, and the conflict with the Mexican state, continue to intensify.

“Third, the cartels are diversifying and increasing in criminal density. The expanding and profit-seeking Mexican cartels turn to other criminal activities such as extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and fuel theft to fill their coffers with billions of dollars,” he stated.

jorge.monroy@eleconomista.mx