Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR The Tijuana cartel is present in at least 15 Mexican states, with important areas of operation in Tijuana, Mexicali, Tecate, and Ensenada in Baja California, in parts of Sinaloa,[35] and in Zacatecas. ", She also downplayed the severity of last week's attack, saying burning a dozen cars in a city of two million people "statistically does not make it an act of terrorism.". Investigators say the attack was carried out by Los Salazar, a Sonoran-based criminal group affiliated with Los Chapitos, the sons of infamous Sinaloa Cartel drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.The people they targeted worked under Felipe Eduardo Barajas Lozano ('El Omega'), a local drug kingpin. Our study found that MS-13 leaders have made several attempts to . "Work is underway," he said from inside. "I got really scared," Ramirez said. As a result of these efforts, the Tijuana cartel is unable to project much power outside of its base in Tijuana. Luis Fernando Snchez Arellano took over the cartel's operations. Police stand guard as people take part in the peaceful rally outside the military base. TheSinaloa-Tijuana war was a bloody gang war fought between the rival Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Jalisco, Guerrero, Michoacan, and Oaxaca from 1989 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2002. [24] It was also reported that the cartel had lost their former Tijuana hotbed to the Sinaloa Cartel. In 1989, the ambitious Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera approached the brothers Benjamin and Ramon Arellano Felix, the leaders of the Tijuana Cartel, and offered to work with them in the drug trade. [50] In its most successful era of drug distribution, the Arellano-Felix Organization was solely responsible for a significant portion of the cocaine distribution to the United States. While incarcerated, he remained one of Mexico's major traffickers, maintaining his organization via mobile phone until he was transferred to a new maximum security prison in the 1990s. A Mississauga-based senior manager for the Sinaloa cocaine cartel has been granted full parole after serving less than four years of a 13 year prison sentence. A member of the National Guard stands watch over the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood of Tijuana. Fourteen Mexican drug gang members were killed and eight others were injured in a gun battle in Tijuana near the U.S. border on Saturday, April 26, 2008, that was one of the bloodiest shootouts in the narco-war between the Tijuana Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel. [31] Observers argued that Rocha's arrest put the Tijuana Cartel "on the ropes",[32] though some differed on whether or not the arrest put "the final nail in the coffin" for the Tijuana Cartel. The war between the Sinaloa and Tijuana cartels may have set the stage for later wars between the Beltrn Leyva and Zetas crime syndicates, but it was the first great narco conflict. Wage theft is commonplace in San Diego. The Arellano-Felix family controlled the city of Tijuana.. The CJNG has a presence inCiudad Jurez, supposedly bolstered by an alliance with the NewJurez Cartel (Nuevo Cartel de Jurez). A man believed to be the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana was arrested in the border city on Tuesday. There are several Mexican-folk (norteo) ballads (narco-corridos) that narrate the Tijuana cartel exploits. Federal officials in Mexico are deploying hundreds of troops to the border city of Tijuana following a wave of violent attacks. These attacks have not been successful yet. On August 14, 2006, Francisco Javier Arellano Flix was apprehended by the United States Coast Guard off the coast of Baja California Sur. Tijuana hasn't seen this type of violence in its streets since the mid-2000s, when the federal government took a hardline approach on the cartels. A drug cartel had hijacked and burned. Founded by the Arellano-Flix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico". On 24 May 1993, Logan Heights Gang hitmen hired by the Tijuana Cartel attempted to kill Guzman in a double-assassination at the Guadalajara International Airport; they succeeded in killing the other target, Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo. A fictional "Tijuana cartel" headed by a character named Obregon was featured battling a fictional "Juarez cartel" in the 2000 motion picture Traffic. In early May 2020, Faras lvarez called on vigilante groups in four municipalities to unite and resist the "invasion" by the CJNG. Many others in Tijuana felt the same, and despite assurances of safety from local authorities, the normally bustling border city was eerily quiet on Saturday. The animosity between the two groups has been brimming since the last season. When the second season of Narcos: Mexico ends, Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo (Diego Luna) is in jail and his Guadalajara Cartel has splintered into three independent cartels: the Tijuana Cartel under the leadership of the Arellano family; the Sinaloa Cartel controlled by Chapo (Alejandro Edda), Palma (Gorka Lasaosa), and Azul (Fermn Martnez); and the Jurez Cartel with Amado Carrillo Fuentes (Jos Mara Yazpik) and Rafael Aguilar Guajardo (No Hernndez) as leaders. There is no region where the CJNG can be said to enjoy total dominance but there are zones where it has consolidated its position as the most powerful criminal actor. "And I cannot allow a cartel to rule my citizens. According to Vctor Snchez, a national security expert at the University of Coahuila, the CSRL was initially able to stave off CJNG advances due to its strong backing from local communities that profit from oil theft. The Arellano Flix family has seven brothers: They also have four sisters, of whom Alicia and Enedina are most active in the cartel's affairs. What Happens to Jurez and Gulf Cartels at the End of Narcos: Mexico Season 3. hide caption. NBC News' Guad Venegas reports on how violence from cartels has. Since at least 2017, a CJNG splinter group, calling itself the Nueva Plaza Cartel, has engaged in regular battles with the larger cartel. The cartel and its origins have also been portrayed in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico. Tijuana is now the . The recent violence is linked to a clash between the Sinaloa Cartel and a rival organization known as Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The president downplayed recent violence and said the Mexican National Guard is taking care of the issue. Benjamin Arellano Felix, who was arrested on March 9, 2002, by the Mexican Army in the state of Puebla,[40] was extradited to the United States on April 29, 2011, to face charges of trafficking cocaine into California. As a result, the Tijuana Cartel reversed their branding back to Cartel Arellano Flix and arranged the assassination of Cabo 33 the Jalisco Cartel's head of operations in Baja California, after effectively removing the Jalisco Cartel's influence in Baja California the Tijuana Cartel has further engaged the Sinaloa Cartel for control of Tijuana plaza and its surrounding areas. But everyone else is saying: 'How can you say that, have you not seen what is happening?. [16] According to Mexican and U.S. authorities, most of Tijuana is under the dominance of the Sinaloa cartel, while Luis Fernando Snchez Arellano of the Tijuana cartel remains the "head of that puppet empire". But while it is certainly one of the country's principal national security threats, the reality on the ground is far more complex as the group is embroiled in a patchwork of rivalries nationwide. Ismael Zambada Garca or El Mayo (Alberto Guerra), a previously independent but respected trafficker, join forces with Chapo after Tijuana burns his boat. And in season 3, it finally spills over. RELATED: Narcos: Mexico's Biggest Arrest Is a Straight-Up Ocean's 11 Heist. On 8 November 1992, several Sinaloa Cartel hitmen in police uniforms massacred several Tijuana Cartel members and partygoers at the Christine nightclub in Puerto Vallarta, where Benjamin Arellano Felix was having his birthday party. [16] The Tijuana cartel, however, has something their rivals do not have: a long-time family with business and political connections throughout the city. Azul is gunned down in the streets by two men on a motorcycle. Part of the problem, Caballero said, was previous political leaders in Mexico had either accepted the cartel violence or looked the other way when it happened. Chris Arturo Pichardo contributed to this report. Step outside tonight and there would be trouble, was the story doing the rounds. Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo (Diego Luna) is in jail. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR hide caption. The Sinaloa Cartel, which is based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is one of the oldest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and was designated on December 15, 2021 pursuant to E.O. 14059. . The sun sets in Tijuana, Baja California, on the border with San Diego. The Flores brothers admitted to smuggling at least 1,500 kilograms of cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel into the US every month between 2005 and 2008. El semanario Zeta de Tijuana, ya reportaba disputas entre los bandos de "El Mayo" y "Los Chapitos", presuntamente provocadas por el Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG). Its like shadow puppetry. This means that crucial information needed to dominate a region -- such as knowledge of escape routes, safe houses and warnings of operations by authorities -- are not being shared with the CJNG. Checkpoints have been set up in some areas and troops can be seen stopping and inspecting cars close to where one of the vehicles was set on fire last Friday. Zaoona zostaa przez siedmiu braci Arellano Flix. Another thing that happened in the aftermath of these events is that the government is saying that their strategy is working, she said. [11] Mexican army troops were sent to Tijuana in January 2007 in an operation to restore order to the border city and root out corrupt police officers, who mostly were cooperating with the Tijuana cartel. The two men met up with their contact, Carlos Tirado Lizarraga, who told them about the situation; they were unaware that Tirado had lured them into a trap at the behest of Guzman, who had ordered the kidnapping of Tirado's sister to force him into betraying his boss. "The situation is serious, but it is not dire. In October 1997, a retired U.S. Air Force C-130A that was sold to the airline Aeropostal Cargo de Mxico was seized by Mexican federal officials, who alleged that the aircraft had been used to haul drugs for the cartel up from Central and South America, as well as around the Mexican interior. They have a lot of soldiers who are vicious, loyal, and effective. [41] He later pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to launder money, and was sentenced to 25 years in jail on April 2, 2012. The brothers retaliated by killing Guzman's envoy Rayo Lopez when he drunkenly showed up to their nightclub, with Ramon Arellano Felix shooting him publicly and having many of his family members killed to prevent reprisals. In the city of Tijuana, in the Pacific state of Baja California, the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel are the main providers of synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl. As long as rival groups fight for control of Tijuana, we should expect the violence to continue until one comes out on top. The first cartel war ever in Mexico!! Some areas of Mexico have increased risk of crime and kidnapping. One man was found tied by his feet while the other two were hung by the neck. At the end of season 3, the soldiers leave, and Benjamin comes back. Although one cartel was weakened, simple economics demonstrate how the illicit drug market and organized crime continues to prosper despite cartels coming and going. The two groups began to subdue local leaders and demand the payment of the floor; today there is a "war", reveals a journalistic work of the magazine Proceso. Its battles against a Zetas splinter group, known as the Old School Zetas (Zetas Vieja Escuela), have ended in massacres. Between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, 17 suspects tied to the violence in Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada and Rosarito Beach had been arrested, Mexican federal authorities said. It originated as a ranch settlement on part of a land grant (1862) and developed as a border resort with gambling casinos. Sinaloa cartel, international crime organization that is among the most-powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world. Run by the Arellano-Flix family, the Tijuana cartel are also one of the main players in Narcos: Mexico Season 3. . Today, the CJNG appears to have done so but at a terrible cost. Following the defection of El Mayo's head of operations in Tijuana and the reintegration of its Cabo San Lucas branch it is evident that the Arellano Flix Organization has retaken control of its Tijuana hotbed from outside influences as well as other important hubs in Baja California leaving Mexicali and Rosarito as the last known Sinaloa Cartel outposts in Baja California though how long they will remain under Sinaloan control is debatable with the rapid defection of Sinaloa Cartel operators in traditionally Arellano Flix territories. El enfrentamiento. Tijuana streets flow with the blood of rival drug cartels A vicious turf war has claimed 2,700 lives in Mexico this year. Its members use social media and public spectacles of violence to terrorize communities into submission. After Benjamn barely escapes from being captured by the soldiers, he goes into hiding, leaving Enedina in charge of day-to-day operations. Its a peace that is totally at the discretion of criminal groups. In the days since the attacks, military reinforcements have been sent into Tijuana to bolster security. Moses Zazueta Ramirez is back at work after taking two days off out of fear of more cartel violence. [28] Fernando Sanchez Arellano was arrested by Mexican police in June 2014. SEE ALSO: Mexico's Role in the Deadly Rise of Fentanyl. TIJUANA, Mexico Moses Zazueta Ramirez was at home last Friday when he started getting messages from his mom and seeing the chaos unfold on social media. And right next to that park there's this crowd of drug dealers. A member of the National Guard stands watch over the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood of Tijuana. [36] On December 12, 2011, Tijuana Police Chief Alberto Capella Ibarra announced that captured cartel lieutenant Francisco Sillas Rocha had confessed that the Tijuana Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel had formed a truce and that the Tijuana Cartel was seeking to merge with the Sinaloa Cartel. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. Shiny SUVs rest curbside. Tijuana, city, northwestern Baja California estado (state), northwestern Mexico. hide caption. Chapo is later arrested and brought to the same prison where Neto is. And I'm going to protect the good citizens, the law-abiding citizens. In the city of Tijuana, in the Pacific state of Baja California, the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel are the main providers of synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl. But presence does not equal dominance. The Tijuana cartel was further weakened in August 2006 when its chief, Javier Arellano Flix, was arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard on a boat off the coast of Baja California. On December 1, 2011, William R. Sherman, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's office in San Diego, announced that the cartel had been annihilated and that the Sinaloa Cartel now controlled a large number of the drug routes the Tijuana Cartel once had. The cartel was portrayed as the Avendanos brothers in Univision's Netflix series El Chapo. Sinaloa loses El Azul when Enedina decides to hit out against all their enemies. [29] Leyva remains at large and Villareal was captured in July 2011. Unfortunately, what we have seen over the past 10 to 15 years is a lot of repetition of the same go-to strategies, which consists largely of military deployment, said Stephanie Brewer, Director for Mexico at the Washington Office on Latin America, or WOLA. A number of experts say that strategy doesnt work. In recent years, several shootings have occurred in bars or clubs, where rivals, including the CJNG, are trying to wrest control of this extortion racket. The Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion has a different approach. [52] The story does not end here. Just over a week ago, a drug cartel launched a campaign of terror on Tijuana vehicles were set ablaze and gunmen blocked major thoroughfares. The response today has a similar flavor to back then, as Tijuana is blanketed with military protection. Members of the National Guard patrol a beach in Playas de Tijuana on August 16. Pero la cada . In June 2020, reports emerged that the CJNG might be making further incursions into Tamaulipas through an alliance with Los Metros, a rising faction of the Gulf Cartel. De r dock mest knda fr sin omfattande narkotikasmuggling mellan produktionsorterna i Mellan - och Sydamerika och den lukrativa narkotikamarknaden i norra . On 9 March 2002, Guzman moved in for the final blow. In terms of what does this mean, this means that the state increasingly looks weaker in relation to criminal groups, said Cecilia Farfan-Mendez, co-founder of the Mexico Violence Resource Project. The Tijuana Cartel failed in its goal of killing Guzman, but Guzman would be arrested in hiding in Guatemala, and he was accused of the murder of the cardinal. The Guadalajara Cartel had sole control of drug trafficking in Mexico until members killed a DEA agent in the 1980s, Shirk said. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide . Among the CJNG's most consistent enemies in the area have been theCartel del Abuelo and Los Viagras. However, the government has. Control was difficult as the Arellano-Felix Organization focused on strategic coordination, protection, and security. Incluso, en 1993 hubo un intento de asesinar al lder del Cartel de Sinaloa. The Arellano-Felix Organization, also known as "The Tijuana Cartel," located in Tijuana, Mexico attested great influence and impact on the United States in its prime era of operation. hide caption. At the end of season 3, Chapo and Mayo control Sinaloa together. [17], Despite being a shell of what it once was in the early 2000s along with the capture of several top suspected members of the Tijuana Cartel, the group appears to retain significant control in the state of Baja California.[18]. Borja Vilalta-Castellanos, 36 . Chapo has always been smart and innovative. SAN DIEGO - Oscar Rodriguez-Guevara of Tijuana, Mexico was sentenced today to 162 months in prison for smuggling multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico and then laundering the illicit proceeds, all for the Sinaloa Cartel. Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) - Split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010, it is "one of the most powerful and fastest growing in Mexico and the United States," according to the DEA. As other groups splintered across Mexico, it maintained a hierarchical, disciplined structure that allowed it to gain territory and members. And in Guerrero, the heartland of poppy-growing for heroin production, splinter groups from larger crime organizations have become a nightmare for the CJNG. The US Treasury Department has included on its blacklists various businesses connected to the cartel in the city. "La Moni," who police say is an assassin for the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested Tuesday during a police raid in Colonia Miramar in Tijuana. They try to rule through brutality, by being more brutal than anyone else, she said. The Sinaloa Cartel's forces heavily employed Narco Tanks and .50 caliber Barrett rifles, among other weapons during fighting in 2019 in Culiacn after a previous attempt to detain Ovidio, along. "The state has lost control," said Victor. The Cartel del Abuelo operates from the municipality of Tepalcatepec, in western Michoacn. This has brought the group into regular conflict with the CJNG since 2017 but with no side gaining a distinct advantage. In the 1990s, the Tijuana Cartel decided to expand their market opportunities in Colombia, exchanging drugs for weapons. Despite all of the evidence that shows us that this military deployment is not an effective strategy, it has remained at the centerpiece of the Mexican federal governments response to crime and violence, she added. El Ingeniero), focused primarily on drug trafficking. This would suggest that the CJNG and Sinaloa organizations have more common interests than differences. Tal alianza se forj a la sombra de los muros de la crcel de El Altiplano, prisin de mxima seguridad en la que coincidieron Benjamn Arellano Flix y Osiel . El 24 de noviembre de 1993, seis meses despus del Intento de homicidio contra Joaqun Guzmn Loera, los sicarios del Crtel de Tijuana intentan asesinar a Amado Carrillo Fuentes, alias El Seor de los Cielos y lder del Crtel de Jurez, en el restaurante Ochoa Bali-Hai de la Ciudad de Mxico. I cannot allow citizens to pay the consequences of these criminal acts we need them to trust our police.". And on Friday, Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador visited and gave a national address from a military base, flanked by senior defense officials. Ramn was eventually killed in a gun battle with police at Mazatln in Sinaloa, on February 10, 2002. Narcos Mexico - Cartel Sinaloa Vs Cartel Tijuana - HD Scenenarcos mexico, narcos mexico season 3, narcos mexico full movie, narcos mexico season 2, narcos me. Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox. A member of the National Guard pats down a driver who was stopped at a checkpoint in the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood in Tijuana. In southeastern Mexico, the resorts of Cancn and Playa del Carmen are hotspots for human trafficking, money laundering, extortion and drug dealing. When these groups weakened and fractured, it took years for another criminal organization to assert control over this strategic zone. En Bolavip te decimos quines sern los futbolistas que protagonizarn el partido de este domingo 26 de febrero entre Xolos de Tijuana vs Pachuca por la Jornada 9 de la Primera Divisin de . There is also the Gulf Cartel headed by Juan Nepomuceno Guerra (Jesus Ochoa) and Juan Garca Abrego (Flavio Medina). That was way the Arellano Felix brothers operation included other clans in Tijuana, San Diego and Los Angeles. [50] International connections as well as internal communication centers provide the Tijuana Cartel with strong surveillance and awareness of government infiltration and plans. And while the CJNG is certainly the largest and the most well-funded group in Tierra Caliente, this has not been enough to overcome entrenched local groups with popular support. News study outlines air pollution from Tijuana sewage, Art Show: 'The Possibility of Something Happening', MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, Current rainy season could be a drought buster, forecaster says, Settlement reached in Tijuana sewage lawsuit, Brittney Griner urges the return of U.S. detainees abroad at NAACP Image Awards, Washington state attorney general says FDA rules on abortion drug are unreasonable, An Arizona driver is in custody after crashing into bicycling group, killing 2, How Cardiff's new farmers market may help keep small farms in business, San Diego officials work to stop elephant poaching. The Arellano-Felix family control lasted until the Sinaloa Cartel challenged them in the mid-to-late 2000s. SINALOA CARTEL Founder: 1989 Originally part of: Guadalajara Cartel Allies: Gulf Cartel, Knights Templar The organization has a reputation for extreme violence. Segn el gobierno federal, la iniciativa tiene la intencin de "contribuir a la prevencin, deteccin del desvo o uso y castigo de la produccin ilcita de drogas sintticas", esto . But much of the efforts done between 2008 and 2010 in Tijuana would not have been possible without the coordination of local police forces and the Mexican military and possibly with a cartel truce to put down the violence. "Puerto Vallarta is completely theirs," Balderas said. But along the border with the United States, the group has been involved in a series of violent clashes for control of border crossings. The war that broke out between the Sinaloa and Tijuana cartels, and El Chapo . In January 2019, InSight Crime named the CJNG one of its "Criminal Winners" for 2018, based on its territorial presence, its income from cocaine and synthetic drug trafficking, its control of port infrastructure and its ability to launder money. [9] However, since the 2006 Sinaloa Cartel incursion in Baja California and the fall of the Arellano-Flix brothers, the Tijuana Cartel has been reduced to a few cells. Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero says residents of her city can trust officials to keep them safe. But the CSRL has been severely weakened by repeated government assaults, and the CJNG has managed to seize control of criminal economies in these three states, although not without spilling blood. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR There is no way to know for sure whether the recent violence is a sign of things to come or if it was an outlier, the experts say. On 10 February 2002, Ramon Arellano Felix travelled to Mazatlan, where he was told that Sinaloa co-leader Ismael Zambada Garcia was attending its carnival with two bodyguards. But to date, it still appears to have less influence there than rivals such as Los Salazar, a powerful cell of the Sinaloa Cartel, andLa Lnea, an increasingly powerful faction of theJurez Cartel. Between the choice of the violence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the violence of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, life tends to be much more brutal, much more difficult under Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacions rule, Felbab-Brown said. And in states surrounding the capital, the CJNG is running into the results ofcriminal fragmentation. After Ramn Arellano Flix (Manuel Masalva) and his friends kill Sinaloa-affiliate El Rayo, the tension and violence rapidly escalate. "It's an unfortunate question of culture, narcos culture," she told NPR. As como tenan una guerra abierta contra los muchachos de Sinaloa, lograron un acuerdo de cooperacin con el cartel del Golfo. But in 2019, the CJNG began a series of bloody assaults against the Cartel del Abuelo, with CJNG bossNemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aliasEl Mencho, even reportedly issuing a personal statement threateningFaras lvarez. [24] The clan of the Arellano Felix continues, although diminished after the capture of their leaders. It was the third time that week that widespread arson and shootings by drug cartels had been seen in cities across northern Mexico. It is based in Culiacn, Sinaloa state, Mexico. hide caption. Eduardo Arellano Flix was captured by the Mexican Army after a shootout in Tijuana on October 26, 2008;[20] he had been the last of the Arellano Flix brothers at large. According to Balderas, the CJNG is present in the capital, especially in certain poorer neighborhoods to the north of the city, but it has not succeeded in becoming a main criminal actor as of yet. Los Pelones, for example, are dedicated to extorting tourist businesses. The shootout occurred in the context of a violent drug war between the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels, with Guzman seeking revenge for the murder of the wife and two young daughters of his right-hand man Hector Luis Palma Salazar at the hands of Tijuana hitmen. Crtel de Sinaloa r ett mexikanskt globalt brottssyndikat som utfr olika sorters brott som bland annat kidnappningar, korruption, mord, penningtvtt, mnnisko- och vapenhandel. It's easy for politicians to say the violence is just gangs fighting each other, she said, when there were other indicators of problems like homicides being more common in poorer neighborhoods, and rates remaining stubbornly high for women. Read More:What Happens to Jurez and Gulf Cartels at the End of Narcos: Mexico Season 3? Felbab-Brown has studied the difference between how each cartel operates. hide caption. 1993 Guadalajara International Airport shootout. And even then, it wont be a lasting peace. But as Flix predicts, relationships between the cartels quickly devolve into an all-out war in season 3, with each group vying for more power and influence. There are currently more than 3,000 members of the National Guard patrolling the streets of Tijuana. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garca, the man many believe to have the most control over the Sinaloa cartel, has spent five decades in the drug trade.While El Chapo is widely described as the cartel's leader, that notion obscures the fact that Sinaloa operates more like a federation with multiple leaders who form something analogous to a board of directors. Their protection strategy and preparations have been described as "paramilitary in nature" by Mexican enforcement officials. This mother says violence has sadly become expected for residents of Tijuana. ", "It tells you a lot about how the population perceives the effectiveness of the state, either federal or locally, in terms of their response to what is happening. A member of the National Guard patrols Playas de Tijuana. We want to sustain Latin Americas largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact. Here, InSight Crime zeroes in on the main regions in which CJNG operates and the resistance they face: In the Golden Triangle -- a crucial drug-producing region composed of the states of Sinaloa and Durango, as well as large parts of Chihuahua -- the Sinaloa Cartel continues to be the major criminal player.