Mexico’s Crime Map: In Which States do the Most Powerful Drug Cartels Operate?

The strong presence of Mexican cartels is devastating for entire communities that are dominated by organised crime.

The fight against organised crime continues to be one of the main challenges in Mexico. Over the last few decades, the various cartels operating in the country have consolidated complex criminal structures with regional, national and international presence. This form of organisation has allowed them to diversify their illicit activities to the extent that they have taken over entire states, exercising social and economic control in various communities. 

With the help of senior officials such as Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), the Mexican government, led by Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has implemented multiple strategies to combat the presence of these criminal groups in the different entities of the Mexican Republic. However, the cartels have managed to reconfigure and adapt. Below, we present a map of criminal activity throughout Mexico. 

Sinaloa Cartel

Although there is a division within the Sinaloa Cartel due to the territorial war between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza, it is considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as one of the “most powerful” drug cartels in the world. It is also identified as one of the main producers and traffickers of fentanyl, with a presence in 31 states. The only exception is Jalisco, a stronghold of the CJNG.

According to the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment conducted by the DEA, the so-called Pacific Cartel concentrates its presence in much of the northwest and west of the country, mainly in Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, and Baja California. However, the criminal group once led by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada has a lesser impact in Querétaro, Veracruz, and Hidalgo, to name a few areas.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’, has a greater presence throughout Mexico. Designated by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the four-letter cartel has a significant presence mainly in Jalisco and in other states such as Baja California, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Colima, Michoacán, Aguascalientes, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Guerrero, Chiapas, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.

Northeast Cartel

Considered a splinter group of Los Zetas, the Northeast Cartel (CDN) has a presence mainly in Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Coahuila. U.S. authorities describe it as “a broad network of compartmentalized cells,” which is responsible for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.  Its criminal activities include kidnapping, extortion, and human trafficking, especially along routes to the United States. It has been detected operating to a lesser extent in Veracruz, Hidalgo, and Chihuahua.

The Nueva Familia Michoacana and United Cartels

In the shifting landscape of organized crime, the United States identifies the New Michoacán Family and United Cartels as factions of La Familia Michoacana (LFM), a cartel led by the brothers Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, alias “El Pez,” and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, alias “El Fresa.” The New Michoacán Family has a significant presence in Michoacán, Guerrero, Morelos, and the State of Mexico, and is expanding into Mexico City.  United Cartels operates in the same states, with the exception of Morelos.

Gulf Cartel

According to official reports, since 2025, the Gulf Cartel (CDG) has transitioned from a unified cartel to operating in multiple factions, with Los Metros and Los Escorpiones being the most powerful. The criminal group is considered to have a significant presence in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Mexico City.  Its criminal activities have also been detected in areas such as Jalisco and Tabasco.

Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel

With Guanajuato as its base of operations, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel wields considerable power in the “Golden Triangle of Fuel Theft.” The criminal group began under the leadership of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro.” The cartel developed a criminal network that includes bribing employees of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), illegally tapping pipelines, stealing from refineries, hijacking tanker trucks, and making direct threats against personnel of the state-owned company.

La Barredora

La Barredora is a cartel that emerged in the state of Tabasco, primarily driven by Hernán Bermúdez Requena, who served as Secretary of Public Security during Adán Augusto López’s term as governor of Tabasco. According to data compiled by Político MX, Bermúdez Requena spearheaded its expansion into the states of Chiapas and Veracruz through criminal activities such as fuel theft, extortion, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.

Source: Tribuna