HomeNewsBriefExpert Says Weakened Sinaloa Cartel Under Attack by Rivals
BRIEF

Expert Says Weakened Sinaloa Cartel Under Attack by Rivals

BELTRAN LEYVA ORG / 10 OCT 2016 BY LUIS FERNANDO ALONSO EN

An award-winning Mexican journalist says the criminal empire of jailed kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is being hacked apart by his rivals, suggesting the Sinaloa Cartel could fracture in the absence of his leadership.

In an interview with Aristegui Noticias, investigative journalist and organized crime expert Anabel Hernández cited recent violence targeted at family members of El Chapo as evidence that the crime boss' organization is under attack from rival groups.

"For the first time we might be seeing the real fall of Chapo Guzmán," Hernández said, adding that the kingpin "no longer controls even his own house."

Hernández says knowledgeable sources have told her that El Chapo's nephew Alfredo Beltrán Guzmán, alias "El Mochomito," of the rival Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), has entered into an anti-Chapo alliance with the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG).

Hernández said that El Chapo's declining clout became evident after BLO operatives reportedly attacked the home of El Chapo's mother in La Tuna, Sinaloa in June -- an incident that was followed by other deadly clashes in the area. This thesis was strengthened in August when CJNG operatives kidnapped El Chapo's sons Iván and Alfredo from a restaurant in the nearby state of Jalisco. The sons were subsequently released unharmed.

Hernández also claimed a recent ambush against a military convoy in Culiacán, Sinaloa could have been perpetrated by El Mochomito in order to cause disruption in El Chapo's territory. According to local news outlet Ríodoce, the area has been the scene of recent heavy fighting between the Sinaloa Cartel and the BLO.

Initially, El Chapo's sons were blamed for the attack, but since then the government has not mentioned who may have been responsible. Hernández noted that El Chapo's lawyer has said the brothers had nothing to do with the attack.

InSight Crime Analysis

As El Chapo's extradition to the United States becomes more likely, it seems that his criminal empire is beginning to fragment, both in his home state of Sinaloa and across Mexico. As this fragmentation occurs, enterprising rival crime groups may be attempting to pick off territory previously controlled by the crime boss.

Indeed, it appears that the CJNG is attempting to seize some of El Chapo's most lucrative territory. The group has reportedly aligned itself with the remnants of the Arellano Félix Cartel to form the Tijuana Cartel - New Generation (Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación) in order to wrest control of the Tijuana trafficking corridor away from El Chapo. Additionally, in March of 2016, reports emerged of an ongoing conflict between CJNG and Sinaloa in the state of Colima, home to the strategically important port of Manzanillo.

SEE ALSO: Mexico News and Profiles

The confrontations in Sinaloa and throughout Mexico are probably not indicative of a full-scale war between the Sinaloa Cartel on one side and BLO and CJNG on the other. Instead, it seems that these organizations are attempting to take advantage of a weakened Sinaloa Cartel in an increasingly fragmented and disjointed criminal landscape. And if El Chapo is eventually extradited to the United States, there will be little he can do to stop this from happening.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

JALISCO CARTEL / 17 DEC 2021

The United States and Mexico have officially entered a new phase of their partnership to tackle transnational organized crime groups…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 21 NOV 2022

Wildlife traffickers in Mexico are taking advantage of the social media marketplace, placing some of Mexico’s endangered species in peril.

MEXICO / 23 MAY 2022

Mexico is seeing a rapid spike in oil theft across much of the country, with observers divided as to whether…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.