Mexico is on fire with violence in Sinaloa. But this state in the north of the country is not the only one. Guanajuato, Guerrero, Chiapas, Tabasco and Tamaulipas report clashes between organized crime groups, car bomb explosions and shootings.
All of this is the result of the dispute between drug cartels and their factions for control of territories that they consider key to their criminal operations.
In total, eight large cartels, from which smaller groups branch off, are fighting to control the territory.
The Mexican government considers them to be generators of violence, which is why part of the new security strategy is directed against the leaders of these criminal groups. This is part of the history and the key characters of the criminal groups in Mexico that generate chaos in the country:
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Sinaloa Cartel: The battle between ‘La Mayiza’ and ‘La Chapiza’
The Sinaloa Cartel emerged in the sixties with Pedro Avilés, ‘El León de la Sierra’, considered one of the first drug traffickers in Mexico. He began transporting cocaine from Latin America to the United States.
Since last September 9, the ‘war’ began in Sinaloa between the groups of Los Mayitos and Los Chapitos. (José Betanzos Zárate )
Avilés was joined by the Arellano Félix brothers, the Beltrán Leyva brothers, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.
In recent months, the dispute between the factions ‘La Mayiza’ and ‘Los Chapitos’ has gained relevance because, since last September 9, the ‘war’ in Sinaloa began. The clashes are the result of the betrayal of Joaquín Guzmán López, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, against his godfather, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
According to the version that Zambada told in a letter, the son of ‘El Chapo’ summoned him to a meeting between the Sinaloa politician, Héctor Melesio Cuén, and the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha. However, the meeting was the pretext to kidnap the capo and hand him over to the US authorities on July 25.
From September to October 28, 300 people have been killed in Sinaloa and a similar number of people have disappeared.
How did the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel come about?
The group emerged in 2011, derived from ‘Los Torcidos’, one of the factions of the extinct ‘Cartel del Milenio’, led by Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Coronel. According to the DEA, the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) has influence in 75 percent of the Mexican territory.
Currently, it controls the central zone of the country, which includes states such as Veracruz, Jalisco and Guerrero. Its leader is Nemesio Oseguera, alias ‘El Mencho’.
The United States Department of Justice considers the CJNG as one of the “most dangerous in the world”, being responsible for the trafficking of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin with fentanyl to the US; in addition to the violence it generates in Mexico.
Following the clashes in Sinaloa, there are versions that point to the creation of a new group called Fuerzas Especiales Unión, derived from an alliance between the sons of ‘El Chapo’ and the CJNG to end ‘La Mayiza’, according to information from journalist Luis Chaparro.
What happened to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel?
The leader and founder of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was José Antonio Yépez, alias ‘El Marro’, who was arrested in 2020. In its beginnings, the criminal group was dedicated to stealing fuel and milking pipelines from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in Guanajuato.
Despite the arrest of ‘El Marro’, the group continues to operate and maintains a dispute with the CJNG, considering that it operates in part of its territory in the Bajío. This fight affects municipalities in Guanajuato such as Celaya, Irapuato, Acámbaro and Jerécuaro.
One of the most recent violent events attributed to him is the explosion of a car bomb and the burning of a patrol car in Acámbaro and Jerécuaro, respectively. The mayor of Acámbaro defined it as “narcoterrorism”.
The explosion in Acámbaro caused material damage to the Public Security building, as well as to nearby homes and businesses. Neighbors reported being awakened by the explosion and denounced the authorities’ disregard for the situation of violence in the municipality.
José Antonio “N”, alias “El Marro”, who is accused of being the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, was captured early this morning by elements of the Mexican Army and the Attorney General of Guanajuato.
Gulf Cartel: The ‘blows’ against its factions in Tamaulipas
In Tamaulipas there is a confrontation between factions of the Gulf Cartel and the Cartel del Noreste, whose presence includes Nuevo León and Tabasco.
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén was the leader and founder of the Gulf Cartel. Six factions were derived from this criminal group: Los Escorpiones, Los Ciclones, Los Metros, Los Rojos, Los Pelones and Los Talibanes.
In Tamaulipas, Roy James, alias ‘El Marino’, considered the leader of ‘Los Ciclones’, was recently arrested. This has been one of the latest ‘blows’ against the cartel and its factions, which in recent months has seen the fall of the alleged leaders of ‘Los Escorpiones’ and ‘Los Metros’.
What are the other organized crime groups that generate violence?
In Guerrero there are local groups that fight over territory. An example of this is the clash between the Guerrero Nueva Generación and Los Granados cartels, which led to the confrontation in Técpan de Galeana.
As a result of this battle in Técpan, there were 16 dead and 11 arrested. The first attack occurred on the road to the town of El Moreno, where two municipal police officers were killed and four more were injured.
The violence began with the arrival of the Guerrero Nueva Generación group, which warned of a ‘clean-up’ in Tecpan to get rid of ‘Los Granados’, led by Salvador Granados for more than ten years.
Tabasco and Chiapas are territories disputed by the CJNG and the Cartel del Noreste. The criminal acts of recent months have led to the exodus in regions of Chiapas and are due to a battle between the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Other organized crime groups that remain in the country are:
The Arellano Félix Cartel: They are in Baja California and their dispute is against the Sinaloa Cartel.
The Michoacana Family: They operate in both Michoacán and the State of Mexico and fight for territories with the CJNG.
The Beltrán Leyva Cartel: They have a presence in Morelos and are in a dispute against local organizations that also seek control of Guerrero.
Source: elfinanciero
