Mexican Cartels Travel to Colombia to Negotiate Cocaine Deals With Local Organizations

There are organizations that maintain strategic ties—obviously—with Colombian cartels operating here in our country. The connection between criminal groups in both nations—those from Colombia and the drug cartels of Mexico—is incredibly strong and intense; these links are key to understanding how cocaine moves from the south to the United States, or how individuals travel from Colombia to join the ranks of drug trafficking organizations, eventually finding themselves in combat against armed forces. 

Jorge Martínez details aspects of this criminal alliance. This isn’t a new development; for years, criminal organizations from Mexico and Colombia have maintained an alliance that facilitates the transport of cocaine from South America to Mexico, and subsequently to the United States.

It is a criminal partnership operating across thousands of kilometers. A significant portion of cocaine is produced and stockpiled in Colombia. In Mexico, major cartels possess the infrastructure to receive, transport, and move these shipments to the U.S. market. 

Key Mexican players include the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. On the Colombian side, organizations such as the *Clan del Golfo* participate in networks that go far beyond simple drug buying and selling. Operatives from Mexican cartels have traveled to Colombia to negotiate shipments directly, oversee their handling and dispatch, and establish agreements with local organizations.

A criminal network connects the two countries via several routes. One originates in the Colombian Caribbean and heads toward Quintana Roo. Another stems from the Colombian Pacific—specifically Buenaventura, a primary port for cocaine exports. A third route begins in Tumaco, southern Colombia, with shipments aiming for Mexico’s Pacific coast. 

However, this alliance is also expanding across Central America. Pressure from authorities on maritime routes has forced criminal groups to diversify their corridors, and the Sinaloa Cartel has once again emerged in this context. *Milenio* recently documented a new cocaine route along the Guatemalan border. 

This is particularly true in the Esquipulas area, where Mexican organizations are reportedly seeking to strengthen their presence; to do so, they require local allies—such as the Lorenzana clan, a Guatemalan criminal group identified as one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s new partners along the Central American corridor.

Thus, the network expands: Colombia provides production and supplier connections; Central American groups facilitate corridors and contacts; and Mexican cartels receive the shipments and control the routes heading north. It is a network linking Colombia, Central America, Mexico, and the United States—demonstrating that even when authorities shut down routes, cartels continue to find ways to keep business running.

Source: Milenio