Puerto Vallarta

Dámaso López Serrano, alias “El Mini Lic,” fell from cartel royalty to irrelevance. Born into privilege, his arrogance, obsession, and delusions of grandeur led to betrayal, failure, and a wasted second chance. Rearrested in 2024 for fentanyl trafficking, Mini Lic’s pathetic end cements his legacy as a failed narco junior.

Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez, El Mencho’s son-in-law, faked his death and assumed a false identity to orchestrate CJNG operations from a California mansion. Known as El Guacho, he trafficked massive amounts of drugs into the U.S. and was tied to violent acts, including the Puerto Vallarta marine kidnappings, before his 2024 arrest exposed his hidden life.

Military forces uncovered a massive marijuana plantation linked to the CJNG in the mountains near Mascota, Jalisco. Spanning 10,000 square meters with 40,000 plants, the crop’s estimated value ranges from $20 million to $40 million USD. This seizure strikes at the financial heart of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels.