Back كارتل سينالوا Arabic Cártel de Sinaloa AST Синалоански картел Bulgarian Càrtel de Sinaloa Catalan Sinaloa (kartel) Czech Sinaloa-kartellet Danish Sinaloa-Kartell German Καρτέλ Σιναλόα Greek Cártel de Sinaloa Spanish Sinaloa kartell Estonian

Sinaloa Cartel

Sinaloa Cartel
Cártel de Sinaloa
Official logo of the Sinaloa Cartel
FoundersJoaquín Guzmán Loera, Héctor Palma Salazar, Ismael Zambada García, Juan José Esparragoza Moreno
Named afterSinaloa, Mexico
Founding locationCuliacán, Sinaloa, México
Years active1987–present[1]
TerritorySinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Nayarit
Leader(s)Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, fentanyl manufacturing, money laundering, weapons trafficking, people smuggling, murder, kidnapping, bribery[2][3]
AlliesSee #Cartel allies
RivalsJalisco New Generation Cartel[4][5][6]
Los Zetas[7]
Gulf Cartel[8] (since 2021)
La Línea[9][10]
Juárez Cartel[10]
Los Mazatlecos
Tijuana Cartel[11]
Logan Heights Gang[11]
Barrio Azteca[12]
Beltrán-Leyva Cartel[13]

The Sinaloa Cartel (Spanish: Cártel de Sinaloa, pronounced [ˈkaɾtel ðe sinaˈloa], CDS, after the native Sinaloa region), also known as the Guzmán-Loera Organization, the Federation, the Sinaloa Cartel,[14][15][16] or the Pacific Cartel,[17] is a large, drug trafficking transnational organized crime syndicate and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization based in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico,[18] that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering.

The cartel's history is marked by evolution from a small crime syndicate to one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world. Founded in the late 1960s by Pedro Avilés Pérez in Sinaloa, the cartel initially focused on smuggling marijuana into the United States. Pérez is credited with pioneering the use of aircraft for drug smuggling, laying the groundwork for large-scale trafficking operations. His organization was a training ground for the second generation of Sinaloan traffickers.

The Guadalajara Cartel was co-founded by Félix Gallardo between 1978 and 1980, marking the next phase in the cartel's history.[19][20][13] Under Gallardo's leadership, the cartel controlled much of Mexico's drug trafficking corridors along the US border throughout the 1980s. Following Gallardo's arrest in 1989, the cartel splintered into smaller organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the Sinaloa Cartel, under the leadership of figures like Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, significantly expanded its operations, establishing itself as one of the most powerful and influential criminal organizations in the world. The cartel was heavily involved in violent conflicts with rival groups such as the Tijuana Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and later, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), as well as with Mexican federal forces.

During this period, the Sinaloa Cartel diversified its drug portfolio, becoming a major player in the global trade of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. It developed sophisticated trafficking networks spanning across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, utilizing methods such as underground tunnels, maritime shipments, and corrupt border officials to smuggle narcotics into the United States and other markets. The cartel also became known for its strategic alliances, brutal enforcement tactics, and the ability to infiltrate local governments and law enforcement agencies, particularly in key trafficking corridors, further solidifying its position as a dominant force in the drug trade. Despite numerous arrests and seizures by law enforcement, the cartel has continued to operate, often employing sophisticated smuggling techniques, including tunnels under the US-Mexico border. It has operations in many world regions but primarily in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Baja California, Durango, Sonora, and Chihuahua.[14][21] and presence in other regions in Latin America, as well as cities across the U.S.[22][23] The United States Intelligence Community considers the cartel to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, perhaps more influential than Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel of Colombia during its prime.[24][25] 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.[26]

As of 2024, the cartel remains Mexico's most dominant drug cartel.[24][27] After the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and his son Ovidio Guzmán López in 2016 and 2023 respectively, the cartel was headed by old-school leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada,[28] as well as Guzmán's other sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Joaquín Guzmán López and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar,[29][30] until 2024 when both Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were arrested by US authorities in El Paso, Texas.[31] The cartel has had a significant impact on the War on drugs, both international and local politics, as well as in popular culture. Its influence extends beyond Mexico, with operations in the United States, Latin America, and as far as the Philippines. Despite the arrest of key leaders, the cartel remains a significant player in international drug trafficking, driven by demand for narcotics in the US and around the world.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Beith 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ALine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Army Destroys Massive Sinaloa Cartel Synthetic Drug Lab Outside Culiacán". Borderland Beat. 16 February 2023.
  4. ^ Crime, InSight (6 May 2015). "Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG)". InSight Crime. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller: Season 1 Episode 8: Guns". Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller. National Geographic. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ^ "18 Dead in CJNG vs Sinaloa Cartel Clash in Zacatecas/Jalisco Border". Borderland Beat. Borderland Beat. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  7. ^ Ioan Grillo (2012). El Narco: The Bloody Rise of Mexican Drug Cartels. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 336. ISBN 978-1408824337.
  8. ^ "Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas: Cartel del Golfo Burns Captured Combatants". Borderland Beat. Borderland Beat. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Alianza contra el Cártel de Sinaloa: confirmaron que el CJNG y La Línea se unieron en Chihuahua". infobae (in European Spanish). Infobae. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b "'Mastermind' behind largest meth seizure in Polk history was operating from federal prison, sheriff says". 29 April 2021.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Puro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Webster, Michael (23 May 2008). "Mexican officials warn Americans to stay away". Independent Media Center. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LastNarco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b Freeman, Laurie. State of Siege:Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2006.
  15. ^ "El cártel de Sinaloa, una alianza de sangre". El Universal (in Spanish). 30 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  16. ^ Rama, Anahi (7 April 2008). "Mexico blames Gulf cartel for surge in drug murders". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  17. ^ The lattermost after the coast of Mexico from which it originated.
  18. ^ Beittel, June S. (7 June 2022). "Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Sinaloa Cartel". Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Why are the Sinaloa Cartel the World's Most Powerful Gangsters?". International Business Times UK. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Organized was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference InSightChicago was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Pelcastre, Julieta (12 May 2021). "Mexican Narcotrafficking Cartels Expand their Control in Colombia". Diálogo Americas. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Sinaloa Cartel". InSight Crime. 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  25. ^ Mallory, Stephen L (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7637-4108-2.
  26. ^ Chokshi, Niraj (26 February 2014). "Where 7 Mexican drug cartels are active within the U.S." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  27. ^ "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape". 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  28. ^ "Mexico's Sinaloa gang grows empire, defies crackdown". Reuters. 19 January 2011. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  29. ^ Tracking Mexico's Cartels in 2018 Archived 5 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Scott Stewart, Stratfor Tactical Analysis. 1 February 2018.
  30. ^ Verza, Maria; Sherman, Christopher (5 January 2022). "Mexico nabs son of drug lord 'El Chapo' before Biden visit". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Top leaders of powerful Sinaloa drug cartel arrested in Texas". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

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