Browsing: Organized Crime

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.”

Mutilated remains were found inside a suitcase in Villa Unión alongside a threatening message directed at René Bastidas Mercado, “El 00.”

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.

In a brutal cartel video from Mazatlán, a captive identifies himself as Jesús Armando Chacón Patiño and claims he was sent by “El Payasín” for Mayito Flaco’s side. His statements, made under captivity, point to a failed push into the port and a public warning from Chapiza.

Ryan James Wedding, the former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged cocaine broker, stood shackled in a California courtroom and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say he ran a pipeline tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and ordered killings. Mexico insists he walked into the U.S. Embassy—no joint raid. Now he waits for trial.