Chiapas

A cartel interrogation out of Zacatecas accuses Mayo-aligned gunmen, the Cabrera network from Durango, and elements of local security forces of working together through police protection, prison control, extortion, and rural camps. The claims are unverified, but the message is clear: Zacatecas’ war is inside the system, not outside it.

A deadly alliance is now in motion. Mencho’s elite CJNG operatives have entered the fight in Sinaloa, backing Iván Archivaldo’s push to crush Mayito Flaco’s resistance. What follows is a tactical breakdown of how Mexico’s most violent cartel just became Los Chapitos’ shock troops.

The 2025 NDTA confirms what we’ve been seeing on the ground: cartels aren’t just trafficking drugs—they’re running multinational criminal empires. With shifting alliances, fractured factions, and synthetic labs replacing poppy fields, this war is evolving fast. I broke down who controls what territory in Mexico—and what it means for the next chapter of cartel warfare.