Browsing: Drug Trafficking

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.

I took my sunglasses off before I shook his hand. Eye contact separates journalists from people who tweet news. I was sitting with some of the most wanted men in Mexico and the United States, surrounded by forty heavily armed sicarios. One wrong expression and I wouldn’t have walked away. This wasn’t myth or rumor. This was real life.

Mexico is no longer just a patchwork of rival cartels — it’s two criminal federations competing for the country. La Nueva Federación and La Alianza del Pacífico now operate like rival economies. The alliances are unofficial, but real. What follows is a breakdown of who’s in, what it means, and what comes next.

Mexican marines raided a stash house in Tijuana and arrested José Antonio “N,” known as “El Chaparro,” alleged boss of Los Aquiles. Authorities seized drugs, rifles, and tactical gear. He’s linked to drug trafficking and multiple murders. Officials say he was one of Baja California’s top cartel operators.

South Korea intercepts a $697M cocaine shipment hidden on a Norwegian bulk carrier. Originating from Manzanillo, the load signals a cartel push into Asia’s ports. Mica Treviño breaks down the route, the players, and the quiet war offshore.