Gruesome video circulating on social media recalls darkest days of Mexico’s drug cartel brutality - WTOP News (2024)

FAQs

What is the most feared cartel in the world? ›

For decades, the ruthlessly violent Sinaloa Cartel has continued its deadly scourge with the pervasive trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other synthetic drugs into the U.S,” stated HSI Acting Assistant Director Arvelo.

The Sinaloa Cartel, often considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, is a network of some of Mexico's most important drug lords. Members work together to protect themselves.

Four main cartels want all the business in those areas. That includes El Chapo's old cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel; the Gulf Cartel; the Jalisco New Generation Cartel; and the Grupo Regional, a "smaller" cartel created by former Zetas, brutally violent cartel enforcers, Armes said.

Women are often prime targets. Cartel associates have pursued single women on reservations, according to law enforcement and tribal officials, and then used their homes as bases of operations.

Los Zetas, originally founded by Mexican special forces deserters, some with US training, started as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel, a crime group from northeastern Mexico, before breaking away. While Los Zetas has itself fragmented, it was known for torture, beheadings and massacres of civilians.

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán

Guzman is the most notorious drug lord of all time, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The cartels' illicit activities in the United States are often inconspicuous. The subtlety creates a disconnect between American streets and the cartels, sometimes making it challenging for even the most experienced officer, deputy, or agent to detect cartel influence.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center and other sources within the U.S. the Sinaloa Cartel is primarily involved in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, cannabis and MDMA. As of 2023, the cartel remains Mexico's most dominant drug cartel.

According to Mexican and U.S. authorities, most of Tijuana is under the dominance of the Sinaloa cartel, while Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano of the Tijuana cartel remains the "head of that puppet empire".

Do cartels target tourists? ›

In general, cartels do not target tourists in Mexico. The CJNG, like other organized criminal groups in Mexico, typically avoids targeting foreign tourists, particularly Americans due to the massive amount of attention such actions draw from both the Mexican government and American DEA and FBI.

Is Cancun safe in Mexico? The Quintana Roo state − where Cancun is located − is under a Level 2 travel advisory, warning travelers to exercise increased caution due to crime. According to the State Department, criminal activity and violence may occur at any time in any location, including in popular tourist spots.

Seniors and Their Timeshares. One of Mexico's most violent criminal groups, Jalisco New Generation, runs call centers that offer to buy retirees' vacation properties. Then, it empties its victims' bank accounts.

Sinaloa state – Do Not Travel

Violent crime is widespread. Criminal organizations are based in and operating in Sinaloa. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.

Cartel snipers have come from Mexican special forces, army, and law enforcement deserters, and from the Kaibiles (Guatemalan special forces).

Los Zetas (pronounced [los ˈsetas], Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscriminate murder.

The late Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar once said, “The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” That quote immediately sets the tone of “Griselda,” a highly anticipated limited series premiering Thursday on Netflix.