Tijuana streets flow with the blood of rival drug cartels A vicious turf war has claimed 2,700 lives in Mexico this year. But along the border with the United States, the group has been involved in a series of violent clashes for control of border crossings. A Mississauga-based senior manager for the Sinaloa cocaine cartel has been granted full parole after serving less than four years of a 13 year prison sentence. "The population had to follow [rumors of a curfew] from criminal groups, whether or not these were verified," said Cecilia Farfn-Mndez, the head of security research at the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies at UC San Diego. Despite attempted shows of strength on the fringes of the Golden Triangle, this remains the part of Mexico where the CJNG lacks any real influence. As long as rival groups fight for control of Tijuana, we should expect the violence to continue until one comes out on top. Our study found that MS-13 leaders have made several attempts to . "It has happened a lot, some of their leaders have had these pacts. Our work is costly and high risk. Tras conocerse la noticia de su inminente salida de prisin el pasado 18 de agosto, fue mucha la incertidumbre sobre cul sera el futuro del exlder del cartel de Tijuana. [13] Nonetheless, most of the victims in Tijuana were white-collar entrepreneurs, and the kidnappings were bringing "too much heat on organized crime" and disrupting the criminal enterprises and interests of the cartel. Read More:What Happens to Jurez and Gulf Cartels at the End of Narcos: Mexico Season 3? hide caption. On 10 February 2002, Ramon Arellano Felix travelled to Mazatlan, where he was told that Sinaloa co-leader Ismael Zambada Garcia was attending its carnival with two bodyguards. On August 31, 2012, Eduardo Arellano Felix was extradited to the United States to face trial for racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California. The latest escalation is not just a repeat of the mid-2000s, but in some ways even more dramatic because of the new factor that is Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who is writing a book about organized crime in Mexico. At least one of them was a minor, reports infobae. In the days since the attacks, military reinforcements have been sent into Tijuana to bolster security. These attacks have not been successful yet. TheSinaloa-Tijuana war was a bloody gang war fought between the rival Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Jalisco, Guerrero, Michoacan, and Oaxaca from 1989 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2002. After Benjamn barely escapes from being captured by the soldiers, he goes into hiding, leaving Enedina in charge of day-to-day operations. Authorities hope the arrests prove they are in control and that they make people feel safe. Updated: Apr 8, 2020 / 05:31 PM CDT. Gustavo became the Investigative Border Reporter at KPBS in 2021. Investigators say the attack was carried out by Los Salazar, a Sonoran-based criminal group affiliated with Los Chapitos, the sons of infamous Sinaloa Cartel drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.The people they targeted worked under Felipe Eduardo Barajas Lozano ('El Omega'), a local drug kingpin. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR Founded by the Arellano-Flix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico". Just over a week ago, a drug cartel launched a campaign of terror on Tijuana vehicles were set ablaze and gunmen blocked major thoroughfares. On 9 March 2002, Guzman moved in for the final blow. And in Guerrero, the heartland of poppy-growing for heroin production, splinter groups from larger crime organizations have become a nightmare for the CJNG. The response today has a similar flavor to back then, as Tijuana is blanketed with military protection. "The most important thing is that the causes that lead to insecurity and violence throughout the country and in Baja California are being addressed.". [17], Despite being a shell of what it once was in the early 2000s along with the capture of several top suspected members of the Tijuana Cartel, the group appears to retain significant control in the state of Baja California.[18]. Ismael Zambada Garca or El Mayo (Alberto Guerra), a previously independent but respected trafficker, join forces with Chapo after Tijuana burns his boat. "There's a park with a community center and the military people took the place to use it as a base. So you think youre seeing something, you think you understand whats going on but you have no way to confirm.. Here, InSight Crime zeroes in on the main regions in which CJNG operates and the resistance they face: In the Golden Triangle -- a crucial drug-producing region composed of the states of Sinaloa and Durango, as well as large parts of Chihuahua -- the Sinaloa Cartel continues to be the major criminal player. Tijuana, city, northwestern Baja California estado (state), northwestern Mexico. hide caption. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR As is often the case, whats going on in this criminal underworld, in the shadows, is impossible for us to really know whats going on, Shirk said. Cartel members are accused of bribing corrupt government and military officials in Tijuana to get their product safely to America. The two groups began to subdue local leaders and demand the payment of the floor; today there is a "war", reveals a journalistic work of the magazine Proceso. A fictional "Tijuana cartel" headed by a character named Obregon was featured battling a fictional "Juarez cartel" in the 2000 motion picture Traffic. TIJUANA, Mexico Moses Zazueta Ramirez was at home last Friday when he started getting messages from his mom and seeing the chaos unfold on social media. The drug trafficker, in his flight from Tijuana, was protected in Sinaloa by Damaso Lopez, alias "El Licenciado," one of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders closest to El Chapo. [44] He pleaded guilty to money laundering and is serving 15 years. ", "I think there's a concern that rather than developing civilian institutions that are devoted to law enforcement, we're seeing increasingly the armed forces getting more duties.". Mexican drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, a son of jailed kingpin Joaquin " El Chapo " Guzman, was arrested, unleashing a violent backlash by gang gunmen on Thursday that shut the airport in . But again, the CJNG does not have much influence there. His downfall ended the war between the two cartels. Chihuahua City, where the old Juarez cartel now known as La Linea is trying to expel Sinaloa cartel proxy Gente Nueva, had a higher murder rate with 42.87. Los Pelones, for example, are dedicated to extorting tourist businesses. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR The shootout led to a renewal of all-out warfare, and Carrillo Fuentes sided with the Tijuana Cartel, seeking to have Guzman killed. The cartel was portrayed as the Avendanos brothers in Univision's Netflix series El Chapo. ", "It tells you a lot about how the population perceives the effectiveness of the state, either federal or locally, in terms of their response to what is happening. That was way the Arellano Felix brothers operation included other clans in Tijuana, San Diego and Los Angeles. The US Treasury Department has included on its blacklists various businesses connected to the cartel in the city. [45][46], They were a criminal organization that operated from San Diego to Los Angeles and other California and Nevada cities. And on Friday, Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador visited and gave a national address from a military base, flanked by senior defense officials. "A large part of Veracruz is now controlled by the CJNG," Balderas said. Members of the National Guard patrol a beach in Playas de Tijuana on August 16. But they dont have direct access to the US border and are forced to pay hefty taxes to the Arellano family to move their cargo through Tijuana. The Arellano-Felix Organization, also known as "The Tijuana Cartel," located in Tijuana, Mexico attested great influence and impact on the United States in its prime era of operation. This task force included sectors of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Residents on both sides of the border were shocked by the brazen attacks, and normalcy didnt return until days later. Jesus Alcazar BADIRAGUATO, Mexico Neat, freshly painted buildings and a renovated church line the central square. Their brother, Francisco, is arrested by Walt Breslin, which, combined with other events, prompts Enedina to launch attacks against all their enemies. Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo (Diego Luna) is in jail. In June 2020, reports emerged that the CJNG might be making further incursions into Tamaulipas through an alliance with Los Metros, a rising faction of the Gulf Cartel. SAN DIEGO - Oscar Rodriguez-Guevara of Tijuana, Mexico was sentenced today to 162 months in prison for smuggling multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico and then laundering the illicit proceeds, all for the Sinaloa Cartel. Initially, they seem to be collaborating. The port of Chetumal is a gateway for chemical precursors used in the production of synthetic drugs. ", A member of the National Guard patrols Playas de Tijuana. In the city of Tijuana, in the Pacific state of Baja California, the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel are the main providers of synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl. He was born in Mexico City, grew up in San Diego and has two passports to prove it. Now there is another battle. Take precautions if you want to come to Tijuana, but know the city remained safe because we contained the situation," she said. At that point, his old organization broke up into three factions: the Tijuana Cartel led by his nephews, the Arellano Flix brothers, the Juarez Cartel, led by Amado Carrillo Fuentes, and the Sinaloa Cartel, run by former lieutenants Hctor Luis Palma Salazar and Joaqun Guzmn Loera, a.k.a. The Tijuana Cartel (Spanish: Crtel de Tijuana) or Arellano-Flix-Cartel (Spanish: Crtel Arellano Flix, CAF) is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Luis Fernando Snchez Arellano took over the cartel's operations. At the beginning of season 3, Sinaloa is inarguably the worst-performing organization among all four major cartels active in Mexico. [52] The impact on the United States was so significant that heavy involvement by the American government was required. But while it is certainly one of the country's principal national security threats, the reality on the ground is far more complex as the group is embroiled in a patchwork of rivalries nationwide. In October 1997, a retired U.S. Air Force C-130A that was sold to the airline Aeropostal Cargo de Mxico was seized by Mexican federal officials, who alleged that the aircraft had been used to haul drugs for the cartel up from Central and South America, as well as around the Mexican interior. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. With the participation of Nueva Generacin, the battle for control of Tijuana's neighborhood drug trade and lucrative smuggling routes to the United States has entered a new phase, one that has. Chapo attacks Benjamn Arellano Flixs (Alfonso Dosal) 40th birthday party and kills Enedina Arellano Flixs (Mayra Hermosillo) new husband, Claudio Vazquez. It was in this city that the CJNG kidnapped and briefly heldtwo of El Chapo's sons in August 2016. The organization has a reputation for extreme violence. The gang war was marked by several gang shootings, bombings, and atrocities, and it was brough to an end in 2002 when the Tijuana leaders were taken down by both the Sinaloa Cartel and law enforcement. Unlike Sinaloa, Tijuana is shown to be thriving at the start of season 3. El Chapo. This criminal organization is responsible for the transportation, importation, and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana, as well as large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine.[22]. A member of the National Guard patrols Playas de Tijuana. [50] In its most successful era of drug distribution, the Arellano-Felix Organization was solely responsible for a significant portion of the cocaine distribution to the United States. [52] While the United States proved successful in minimizing and fighting the Arellano-Felix Organization, the effectiveness on combating the war on drugs also proved successful. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! A 2021 study by the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies found that 64% of Mexicans think organized crime or drug trafficking groups buy public officials. Police stand guard as people take part in the peaceful rally outside the military base. [24] It was also reported that the cartel had lost their former Tijuana hotbed to the Sinaloa Cartel. The CJNG has a presence inCiudad Jurez, supposedly bolstered by an alliance with the NewJurez Cartel (Nuevo Cartel de Jurez). [11] Mexican army troops were sent to Tijuana in January 2007 in an operation to restore order to the border city and root out corrupt police officers, who mostly were cooperating with the Tijuana cartel. During the parade, Guzman and Zambada observed Arellano and Alambra from a rooftop, watching through binoculars as they waded through the crowd. Tijuana is now the . It is based in Culiacn, Sinaloa state, Mexico. This would suggest that the CJNG and Sinaloa organizations have more common interests than differences. At least 11 killed, businesses burned near Mexico's border with U.S. in violence blamed partly on El Chapo's Sinaloa cartel. [9] The Oaxaca Cartel reportedly joined forces with the Tijuana Cartel in 2003. The rise of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin CJNG), after its split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010, was rapid. On August 14, 2006, Francisco Javier Arellano Flix was apprehended by the United States Coast Guard off the coast of Baja California Sur. SEE ALSO:Morelos, Mexicos Latest Hotspot for Fragmented Criminal Showdowns. . Cartel henchmen set up roadblocks throughout Baja California and the government imposed a curfew. He then proceeded to declare war on the Gulf Cartel, arranging for a series of raids targeting Cardenas Guillen and his brother, Antonio Cardenas Guillen, in Nuevo Leon, starting a new war. "It's an unfortunate question of culture, narcos culture," she told NPR. Guzman told his followers (including the Juarez Cartel and his Sinaloa Cartel men) that those who did not stand with the federation stood against it, and that the federation would monopolize all criminal enterprises in the country. Run by the Arellano-Flix family, the Tijuana cartel are also one of the main players in Narcos: Mexico Season 3. . 14059. . A man believed to be the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana was arrested in the border city on Tuesday. "Puerto Vallarta is completely theirs," Balderas said. He bribed the leader of a special forces team sent to track him down to become one of his henchmen, using him to hunt down other cartel bosses in exchange for $30,000 a month. SEE ALSO: Mexico's Role in the Deadly Rise of Fentanyl. They have a lot of soldiers who are vicious, loyal, and effective. "Work is underway," he said from inside. [10] This alliance has since dwindled as the Tijuana, Jalisco New Generation, and Sinaloa cartels all now battle each other for trafficking influence in the city of Tijuana and the region of Baja California. However, its control has not gone uncontested. When the Arellanos start to think everything will go back to normal again, Ramn is killed by Sinaloa soldiers. Currently, the Sinaloa and Los Zetas Cartels are in a war, forcing other cartels to take sides and new alliances are forming. The Tijuana Cartel ( Spanish: Crtel de Tijuana) or Arellano-Flix-Cartel ( Spanish: Crtel Arellano Flix, CAF) is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. A member of the National Guard pats down a driver who was stopped at a checkpoint in the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood in Tijuana. The squad discovered that Benjamin Arellano Felix was hiding at a safehouse in Puebla with his henchman Charalito, and Conrado Higuera Sol - now operational director of the federal police - oversaw the operation that led to Arellano Felix's capture. The discovery of two severed heads in Mexico City has raised concerns that the capital may no longer be immune, Forensic examiners recovering bodies from mass graves in remote terrain has become commonplace during Mexicos drug war, but criminal groups, Poverty and lack of opportunity are supplying Mexico's drug trafficking organizations with waves of fresh recruits.