“El Mencho” on the left and Pablo Escobar
This model was forged in Medellin by Pablo Escobar: immense wealth, unbridled violence, and the charisma of a folk hero. But modern Mexican cartels have not only followed this model, they have weaponized it.
What began as a handful of regional smuggling routes has evolved into a multi-generational saga of betrayal and “narco-terrorism.” Understanding Mexico today means understanding the rise and fall of these dynasties: the old confederations, the mavericks of the Special Forces, and the new, hyper-aggressive giants fighting for the crown.
Chaos in Mexico after El Mencho’s murder: 25 soldiers killed as cartel fury sweeps the nation
Mexico’s brutal drug war claims thousands of lives every year, as powerful trafficking groups battle for territory and influence.
These cartels control large areas of the country and are also responsible for political corruption, assassinations, and kidnapping. Many major drug trafficking organizations have shaped global supply routes, fueled violence and contributed to creating significant public health and security challenges.Many groups operate from strongholds in specific Mexican states that serve as bases for their activities and confrontations with competitors and law enforcement.
Today, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are widely viewed by analysts as Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, while older groups such as the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas have weakened. Away from Mexico, the Medellin cartel in Colombia served as a model for modern drug empires.
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel, also known as the Sinaloa Cartel, emerged in the late 1980s from former members of the Guadalajara Cartel and became one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the world.
By 2016, it controlled about 40 to 60 percent of Mexico’s drug trade and controlled much of the northwest.For many years it was headed by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who once ranked among the richest men in the world. Under his leadership, the cartel gained a reputation for violence, overpowered rival groups and became the largest supplier of illicit drugs to the United States. Officials said the group kidnapped, tortured and killed members of rival gangs and had access to a massive arsenal of weapons, including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and Guzmán’s gold-plated AK-47 rifle.
Mexican cartels often clash with each other, but they also form strategic alliances.Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison in July 2019 after one of the most high-profile trials in modern US history. Prosecutors said he trafficked cocaine, heroin and marijuana and had a network of dealers, kidnappers and murderers. His imprisonment has led to increased violence as rivals seek to gain an advantage, but the cartel still wields significant influence, still dominating northwestern Mexico and operating in cities from Buenos Aires to New York.
It continues to make billions of dollars from drug smuggling to the United States, Europe and Asia.The cartel is believed to be partly controlled by Guzman’s son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez. When he was arrested in October 2019, Sinaloa militants fought street battles with the army in broad daylight, setting vehicles on fire and making a prison break before he was released, demonstrating the group’s military strength.In another case, alleged cartel leader Pedro Inzunza Noriega was arrested in the state of Sinaloa.
The United States accused him of smuggling large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin as the second-in-command of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a faction now believed to no longer exist.
Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Formed around 2010, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is the Sinaloa cartel’s strongest and most aggressive rival, based in western regions such as Tierra Caliente. The group expanded rapidly throughout Mexico and is now one of the most dominant organized crime groups in the country, with assets believed to exceed $20 billion.Its leader, Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was considered Mexico’s most wanted drug trafficker and one of the last drug lords in the flamboyantly brutal mold of imprisoned bosses Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. He ambushed police, attacked senior security officials, and even shot down a military helicopter. The United States offered a reward of up to $15 million for his arrest.CJNG is one of the major distributors of synthetic drugs in the Americas and a major player in the illicit amphetamine markets in the United States and Europe, with links to Asia. Analysts say the movement’s extreme violence has led to continued bloodshed in cities including Tijuana, Juárez, Guanajuato and Mexico City. It killed dozens of officials, shot down an army helicopter, and hung the bodies of the victims on bridges to intimidate rivals. Experts say the cartel is set to expand further.Read also | US weapons, drones and token patches: How Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord El Mencho militarized the cartel
Gulf Cartel
The Gulf Cartel, based in northeastern Mexico around Tamaulipas, is one of the country’s oldest criminal groups, with roots dating back to the 1980s.
She became known for smuggling cocaine and marijuana into the United States, and also trafficked heroin and amphetamines while working closely with Colombian cartels. By the 1990s, its operations were reportedly generating billions of dollars annually, fueled by political corruption and bribery.Leader Juan García Abrego was arrested in 1996. His successor, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, expanded the cartel’s military wing by recruiting corrupt special forces soldiers and adopting a more violent approach.
After his arrest in 2003 and the death of his brother Ezequiel in 2010, the cartel split into rival factions and weakened, engaging in turf wars with its former allies.
Los Zetas
These former special forces recruits eventually broke away to form Los Zetas in 2010. Operating mainly in northeastern Mexico, they became notorious for extreme brutality, often torturing and beheading victims. The group has expanded beyond drugs to include crimes ranging from cigarette smuggling to human trafficking.By 2012, Los Zetas had reached the peak of their power, operating in more than half of Mexico’s states and overtaking rivals to become the country’s largest drug cartel. But the killing of one of the leaders by the Mexican Navy that year and the capture of his two successors, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales, led to a decline. The cartel has split and lost territory to expanding rivals such as CJNG, although it remains a dangerous force.
Medellin Cartel
Before the Mexican groups rose to global dominance, the Colombian Medellin Cartel dominated the global cocaine trade in the 1980s and early 1990s. Led by Pablo Escobar, this gang became synonymous with unprecedented wealth, power, and violence, setting a model that Mexican cartels would later follow.A day after Mexican forces killed New Jalisco Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes in an operation led by the Mexican Army, the mountain town of Tapalpa in Jalisco showed stark contrasts. Schools were closed due to the violence, but children played in the cobblestone streets and tourist shops in the main square reopened. At the same time, gunfire echoed and a body appeared on a road outside the town next to a bullet-riddled car. Heavily armed security forces continued clashes with gang gunmen who closed roads as smoke rose in the suburbs. And she said no Authorities said more than 70 people died in the arrest and violence that followed, highlighting the gang’s influence and the turmoil caused by the death of one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords.
