The CJNG and La Mayiza are Fighting Over Drug Trafficking Routes in Zacatecas Leading to the U.S.

The internal rift within the Sinaloa Cartel has triggered a crisis regarding its drug-trafficking routes to the United States; “Los Chapitos” control northwestern states, while “Los Mayos” are exploring new paths running through Zacatecas.

Backed by “Los Cabrera”—their armed wing—”Los Mayos” are seeking an outlet and have declared war on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), capitalizing on the latter’s weakened state following the death of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera (“El Mencho”).

Intelligence sources consulted by MILENIO explain that both criminal networks are vying for control of at least two routes crossing Zacatecas.

Disputed drug-trafficking routes

In Sinaloa: the route originating in Mazatlán, Durango—a state dominated by “Los Cabrera”—passing through Sombrerete (where former mayor Ignacio Castrejón was recently assassinated) and Fresnillo, Zacatecas, via Route 54, and continuing along Route 85 to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.

In Jalisco: the dispute centers on the Huejúcar-Tepetongo and Malpaso (Zacatecas) route along Route 54, heading toward the Nuevo Laredo border.

For years, Zacatecas has been a strategic territory for criminal groups due to its geographic location and connections to Durango, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, and the Bajío region. This position has turned the state into a constant battleground, primarily between the CJNG and factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Despite the infighting among criminal organizations, these groups rarely vanish or remain stagnant in the face of internal fragmentation; instead, they tend to adapt to preserve their revenue streams. This process typically results in a reshuffling of alliances, battles for strategic corridors, and a surge in violence within the territories where they seek to expand.

Signs of this shift by “La Mayiza” into Zacatecas include the appearance of messages and videos in the state attributed to that faction, as well as a rise in violent incidents characteristic of a territorial turf war—such as mass killings, cartel banners, and public threats.

This coincides with a reinforced federal security presence deployed following outbreaks of violence in the state.

“El Mayito Flaco’s” faction claims responsibility for violence in Zacatecas

The most shocking incident occurred in mid-July, when ten people were killed; five bodies were hung from a highway overpass, while the other five were left in public squares and along roadways.

Following these events, cartel banners appeared and a video began circulating on social media in which a Sinaloa Cartel faction linked to “El Mayito Flaco” claimed responsibility for the killings and issued threats against state authorities and military commanders.

In response, the Army initially deployed 400 soldiers and National Guard members; days later, it bolstered the operation with another 100 troops from the Special Forces Corps.

Shortly after the July 18 mass killing, the Zacatecas Undersecretariat of Transportation acknowledged that taxi drivers working in the capital, Fresnillo, and Río Grande have been subjected to extortion—specifically, demands for up to 500 pesos a week for the right to work.

Producers in rural communities also came forward, reporting that extortion has reached extreme levels; criminal groups are demanding up to 1,000 pesos for every head of cattle sold and a fee of 250 pesos for every day laborer hired to work the land.

Some citizens directly accuse the “Los Cabrera” group of demanding payments—including in the mining sector, where the mounting pressure is already cutting into earnings.

In recent statements, PAN state legislator Jesús Badillo Méndez asserted that the insecurity in Fresnillo has stoked fear among business owners, merchants, and residents of Zacatecas, impacting both daily life and the local economy. “It would be false to say that fear does not exist,” the speaker stated, referring to the insecurity and extortion cases influencing business decisions and investment in the region.

On July 23, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a statement identifying Florencia de Benito Juárez, Zacatecas, as a municipality serving as a base for the CJNG to produce fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

It also identified José Octaviano García Martínez as the group’s local leader (*jefe de plaza*); alongside Cuauhtémoc Rivera Zepeda and Uriel Hernández Morales, he produces large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories across Jalisco and Zacatecas, while operating extensive distribution networks that transport narcotics to cities in the United States.

The state’s geographical location makes it a key hub for organizations seeking to control transit and distribution routes.

Zacatecas had been seeing improvements in peace levels

According to the 2026 Mexico Peace Index (MPI), Zacatecas recorded the greatest improvement in peace levels during 2025, following the spikes in violence observed between 2015 and 2022; however, this progress is jeopardized if pressure exerted by federal forces in Sinaloa displaces criminal operations into Zacatecas and other neighboring states.

“Sinaloa, by contrast, recorded by far the greatest deterioration in peace levels. The state has long served as a base of operations for the Sinaloa Cartel… In September 2024, the outbreak of major armed clashes in Sinaloa between cartel factions… drove significant increases in both homicides and firearm-related crimes in the state last year,” the report notes. In May, Marcela Figueroa, head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, reported that during the first four months of 2026, the daily average of intentional homicides in Zacatecas fell by 61.8 percent compared to the same period in 2025.

Meanwhile, Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), announced the arrest of Audías ‘N’—known as “El Jardinero”—identified as a regional leader of the CJNG. He is alleged to have coordinated extortion, homicide, and drug production and trafficking operations, as well as overseeing clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

If the conflict between Sinaloa Cartel factions continues to spread beyond its historic stronghold, the state governed by David Monreal risks losing the security gains it has achieved.

Source: Milenio