THE THIRD LARGEST DRUG CARTEL IN MEXICO IS STRUGGLING:

Sarah,

The top three drug cartels in Mexico are the Gulf Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Zetas.  This week, the boss of the Gulf Cartel was arrested.  This event signals major changes ahead.  Here is a breakdown:

Quick History:

In the 1980’s, American authorities shut down drug smuggling routes through the Caribbean and Florida.  This forced Colombian suppliers to use Mexican middlemen to get their drugs into America.  One of these middlemen, the Guadalajara Cartel, began investing in their own operation and soon became the most dominant cartel in Mexico.

When the leader of the Guadalajara Cartel died, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel split the smuggling routes of the original operation and grew to be their own powerful entities. 

In 1999, elite soldiers in a special unit of the Mexican Army deserted and were hired by the Gulf Cartel as bodyguards and assassins.  In 2010, the soldiers broke away from the Gulf Cartel and started their own operation.  They call themselves the Zetas.

Since 2010, these three major players have dominated the Mexico’s drug trade.  The Sinaloa Cartel is the largest and most powerful.  The Zetas are the newest, most aggressive, and most violent.  The Gulf Cartel is still powerful, but seems to be rapidly disintegrating.

Recent Arrests:

The arrest of the Gulf Cartel’s leader, Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, signals only the most recent struggle for the organization.  The leadership has been decimated in recent years: one captain is in jail in Texas, one captain was arrested the week before, and one captain was killed in a 2010 shootout with the Mexican Army.

With their top leadership eliminated, it will be tough for the Gulf Cartel to continue fighting off the cartels.

Power Vacuum:

The Gulf Cartel controls prime assets and smuggling routes.  People are definitely going to fight over them.

First, there will likely be infighting among the second tier of Gulf Cartel leadership to obtain the top spots.

Second, the Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel will be fighting to take over Gulf territory.

The Zetas have been expanding rapidly but lately there has been evidence of dissension in their ranks.  The more organized Sinaloa Cartel might have the advantage.

Politics:

Mexico has recently elected a new President.  There is a question as to how he will handle Mexico’s drug violence.  Mexico’s last administration focused on pursuing the top leadership in each cartel.  This strategy was criticized as ineffective because it did not focus on the source of drug cartel power and merely replaced one drug lord with another.  We will see if Pena Nieto (the new president) does anything different.

(click here for more detailed information on Mexican Drug Cartels)