Browsing: CJNG

CJNG’s franchise model is on display in a dark, grainy video from Mexicali, where a captive is questioned with a pistol pressed against his head. The gunman identifies his group as Los Mechas, invokes “the Four Letters,” and delivers a blunt message: “The city of Mexicali has an owner.”

FZ Nueva Generación, a local CJNG cell linked to Fuerza Zacatecas, announced that it is expanding into five Zacatecas municipalities. The armed message targets Los Mayos, the Cabrera group, police and prosecutors. A March arrest operation suggests F-Z was already active in Guadalupe months before this latest warning was released.

For years, I have covered the people, organizations, and conflicts that have shaped organized crime in Mexico. This book brings that work together in one place, profiling the 50 men who had the greatest influence on the evolution of the modern Mexican drug trade. It is written for readers who want history, context, and facts—not myths or Hollywood versions of the cartel world.

New Pictures of Mencho is a reported look at the records, people, and power structures behind the case, focusing on why the incident matters beyond the headline.

El Mencho was supposed to be untouchable—until February 22 proved the opposite. What followed wasn’t just an operation, but a shift: tighter coordination, faster pressure, and a cartel world retreating underground. CJNG now faces its hardest test—succession. If “El 03” holds, the machine runs. If he falls, chaos hunts the throne.