134-669: The Sinaloa Cartel (Spanish: Cártel de Sinaloa , CDS , after the native Sinaloa region), also known as the Guzmán-Loera Organization , the Federation , the Blood Alliance , or the Pacific Cartel , is a large, transnational organized crime syndicate based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa , Mexico that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering . The cartel's history
268-715: A 2013 interview that Caro Quintero financed the construction of a 40-kilometre-long (25 mi) highway in Badiraguato and helped electrify the area. The mayor recalled that before the highway was built, it would take days for people to travel in and out of Badiraguato. On April 4, 1985, Caro Quintero was arrested in Alajuela, Costa Rica , while sleeping in a mansion just 800 metres ( 1 ⁄ 2 mi) from Juan Santamaría International Airport and extradited to Mexico on charges of involvement in Camarena's murder. He
402-553: A US$ 300,000 bribe, reportedly allowed Caro Quintero to flee from the airport in Guadalajara, in a private jet, to seek refuge in Costa Rica . Pavón Reyes was fired shortly afterward, and was charged with bribery and complicity in the Camarena murder. Locals from Badiraguato , Sinaloa, Caro Quintero's hometown, recall that Caro Quintero was a benefactor in the area in the 1980s. The town's mayor, Ángel Robles Bañuelos, said in
536-697: A base at what is now Sinaloa de Leyva and by 1610, the Spanish influence had been extended to the northern edge of Sinaloa. In 1601, the Jesuits' movement into the eastern part of Sinaloa led to the Acaxee going to war. The Spanish eventually managed to reassert authority in the Sierra Madre Occidental region and executed 48 Acaxee leaders. After the Mexican War of Independence , Sinaloa
670-546: A commercial value on their lost land at $ 2.8 billion pesos ($ 294 million U.S. dollars). In 2002, Mexican President Vicente Fox, who had promised to resolve the issue, also failed. As shown image 2 Ejido Tampico comparison between 2000 and 2006, the ejidatarios then proceeded to commercially develop the 79 hectares (200 acres) area at the Tijuana airport by leasing buildings and parcels to trucking and storage companies. As shown by image 3 Drug Trafficking Tunnel , in 2006
804-535: A difference of almost six years in the case of Sinaloa, at 74.2 and 68.3 years respectively. In ethnic composition, Sinaloa has received large historic waves of immigration from Europe (mainly Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia) and Asia (namely China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria). The last two countries also make up most of
938-447: A fallout with the sons of imprisoned former leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán over leadership status. Despite this, both were said to be on good terms with de jure Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who was now in poor health. Ex-DEA agent Mike Vigil continued to downplay Caro Quintero's role in the drug trafficking business and stated that "He will fall before he dies of old age." A Mexican court dismissed suggestions that
1072-676: A famous tourist resort and destination, and Los Mochis , an agricultural hub in Northwestern Mexico. Other cities include Guasave , Guamúchil , Escuinapa , El Fuerte , Sinaloa de Leyva , El Rosario , San Ignacio de Piaxtla and Choix . Culturally, Sinaloa is part of Northern Mexico . Famous entertainers from the state include actor Pedro Infante , born in Mazatlán ; singer Ana Gabriel , born in Guamúchil ; singer and actress Lola Beltrán from Rosario ; Cruz Lizárraga,
1206-730: A formal chain of command ." When Héctor Luis Palma Salazar was arrested on 23 June 1995, by the Mexican Army, his partner Joaquín Guzmán Loera took leadership of the cartel. Guzmán was captured in Guatemala on 9 June 1993, and extradited to Mexico, where he was jailed in a maximum security prison, but on 19 January 2001, Guzmán escaped and resumed his command of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán has two close associates, Ismael Zambada García and Ignacio Coronel Villareal . Guzman and Zambada became Mexico's top drug kingpins in 2003, after
1340-705: A former high-ranking Tijuana member called Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental, alias "El Teo" or "Tres Letras" allying with the Federation. By 2005, the Beltrán-Leyva brothers , who were formerly aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, had come to dominate drug trafficking across the border with Arizona. By 2006, the Sinaloa Cartel had eliminated all competition across the 528 km (328 mi) of the Arizona border. The Milenio (Michoacán) , Jalisco (Guadalajara), Sonora (Sonora) , and Colima cartels were now branches of
1474-490: A front that laundered millions of dollars through a gas station, construction company, shoe factory, restaurant, real estate development companies, among others. In the early hours of August 9, 2013, a court ordered the immediate release of Caro Quintero after he had served 28 years in prison. After a motion by Rosalía Isabel Moreno Ruiz, who is a state judge and magistrate , the Jalisco state court ruled that Caro Quintero
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#17327720992491608-766: A group controlled by Amado Carrillo Fuentes formed the Juárez Cartel ; and the remaining faction moved to Sinaloa and formed the Sinaloa Cartel under the traffickers Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán and Ismael El Mayo Zambada . Caro Quintero's brother Miguel Caro Quintero succeeded him and formed the Sonora Cartel , which branched out of the Sinaloa organization. The United States government believes that Caro Quintero ran his criminal empire behind bars through at least six of his family members, by creating
1742-679: A major disadvantage since they were forced to move much of their drug product through the Tijuana corridor, which often put them directly into conflict with the Arellanos. This eventually led to Ramón Arellano Félix killing two of Guzmán's associates thus leading to a full-fledged war between the two organizations. It was around this period in the early 1990s when Guzmán brought in freelance trafficker Ismael Zambada García (a.k.a. El Mayo ) particularly due to his exceptional ability to work with and coordinate with other traffickers. Throughout much of
1876-525: A maximum security facility in 14 years. On 8 January 2016, Guzman was arrested again during a raid on a home in the city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa. The Sinaloa Cartel used to be known as La Alianza de Sangre ("Blood Alliance"). The Sinaloa Cartel is "a confederation of criminal organizations based on regional culture, and deep, shared blood ties that have been generated during decades of endogenous practice." The Cipher Brief identified
2010-503: A senior leader in the Sinaloa cartel or being active in the drug trade. Former DEA agent Mike Vigil, who previously led the DEA international operations and was highly active in investigating Mexican drug operations, described Caro Quintero as "a shell" of his former self and stated that it was "ludicrous" to look into allegations that he might have leadership in the Sinaloa Cartel. Vigil stated, "Right now, we don't have any information that he
2144-643: A significant impact on the War on drugs , both international and local politics, as well as in popular culture. Its influence extends beyond Mexico, with operations in the United States, Latin America, and as far as the Philippines. Despite the arrest of key leaders, the cartel remains a significant player in international drug trafficking, driven by demand for narcotics in the US and around the world. Pedro Avilés Pérez
2278-520: A small scale, at the ranch owned by his brother Jorge Luis. In less than five years, Caro Quintero managed to buy several other ranches in the surrounding areas and began to amass larger amounts of money and influence. He is said to have first worked for the drug traffickers Pedro Avilés Pérez and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo before forming the Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo , Juan José Esparragoza Moreno , and others in
2412-513: A specific geographic region along the corridor, to coordinate, direct, and support the flow of narcotics north into the United States. Key cities along the corridor include the Mexicali plaza, San Luis Rio Colorado plaza, Sonoyta plaza, Nogales plaza, and the Agua Prieta plaza. The Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan areas are major trans-shipment and distribution points for
2546-594: A war against the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano-Félix Organization) over the Tijuana smuggling route to the border city of San Diego, California. The rivalry between the two cartels dates back to the Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo setup of Palma's family. Félix Gallardo, following his imprisonment, bestowed the Guadalajara Cartel to his nephews in the Tijuana Cartel. On 8 November 1992, Palma struck out against
2680-568: A warning to rival gangs. Before his arrest, Vicente Zambada Niebla ("El Vicentillo"), son of Ismael Zambada García ("El Mayo"), played a key role in the Sinaloa Cartel. Vicente Zambada was responsible for coordinating multi-ton cocaine shipments from Central and South American countries, through Mexico, and into the United States for the Sinaloa Cartel. To accomplish this task he used every means available: Boeing 747 cargo aircraft, narco submarines , container ships, go-fast boats , fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor-trailers and automobiles. He
2814-501: A white Mercury Grand Marquis town car. Evidence that runs counter to a mistake theory is that Posadas did not look anything like Guzmán, he was wearing a long black cassock and a large pectoral cross , and he was gunned down from only two feet away. As of 2014, it is believed that the Tijuana Cartel, or at least a sizable majority of it, has been either absorbed or forced to ally with the Sinaloa Federation, in part due to
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#17327720992492948-508: Is Rubén Rocha Moya . The state is represented in the Mexican Congress by three Senators in the upper house and fourteen federal deputies in the lower house . Sinaloa is divided into 18 municipalities . Each municipality has a city council , headed by the municipal president. The aforementioned positions have a duration of three years. The state's major cities include the capital and largest city, Culiacán , Mazatlán ,
3082-520: Is a narrow strip of land that stretches along the length of the state and lies between the Gulf of California and the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, which dominates the eastern part of the state. Sinaloa is traversed by many rivers, which carve broad valleys into the foothills. The largest of these rivers are the Culiacán , Fuerte , and Sinaloa . Sinaloa has a warm climate on
3216-453: Is accused of conspiring with Caro Quintero in the murder of Camarena and the pilot, but was later transferred to house arrest due to his advanced age. In June 2020, it was revealed that Sinaloa Cartel's Los Salazar affiliate was now a major figure in Sonora's drug trafficking business. However, both Rafael and Miguel Caro Quintero had recently rejected offers to join the Sinaloa Cartel due to
3350-588: Is believed to be responsible for the death of the activist Nepomuceno Moreno. Jesús Alfredo Salazar Ramírez was arrested on 1 November 2012, in the municipality of Huixquilucan , by military personnel working with the Mexican Attorney General's office ( PGR ). "El Muñeco" is considered to be one of the most important lieutenants of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, evident from his control of the planting, production, and trafficking of drugs in Sonora and in
3484-474: Is implicated in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. Caro Quintero had eluded authorities for almost a decade, but justice has no expiration date. Holding Caro Quintero to account for his crimes is yet another win under the U.S./Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities. I look forward to even closer collaboration with our Mexican partners on our seguridad compartida. Our thoughts and prayers are with
3618-780: Is known as "Mexico's breadbasket". Additionally, Sinaloa has the second largest fishing fleet in the country. Livestock produces meat, sausages, cheese, milk as well as sour cream. In terms of education, average schooling reaches 8.27 years; 4.2% of those over 15 years of age are illiterate, and 3.18% of children under 14 years of age do not attend school. Institutions of higher education include Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa , TecMilenio University , Universidad Politécnica de Sinaloa , Universidad Politécnica del Mar y la Sierra , Universidad Politécnica del Valle del Evora , Universidad Autónoma de Durango , Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Sinaloa , Universidad Autónoma de Occidente and Universidad Casa Blanca . The current governor of Sinaloa
3752-500: Is marked by evolution from a small crime syndicate to one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world. Founded in the late 1960s by Pedro Avilés Pérez in Sinaloa, the cartel initially focused on smuggling marijuana into the United States (US). Pérez is credited with pioneering the use of aircraft for drug smuggling , laying the groundwork for large-scale trafficking operations. His organization
3886-535: Is one of the few places where the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame is still played, in a handful of small, rural communities not far from Mazatlán . The ritual ballgame was central in the society, religion and cosmology of all the great Mesoamerican cultures including the Mixtecs , Aztecs , and Maya . The Sinaloa version of the game is called ulama and is very similar to the original. There are efforts to preserve this 3500-year-old unique tradition by supporting
4020-531: Is the city's "Little Village" neighborhood. From this strategic point, the cartel distributes their product at the wholesale level to dozens of local street gangs, as much as 2 metric tons a month, in a city with over 117,000 documented gang members. The Gangster Disciples are one of the local gangs most actively working with the cartel. The cartel's attempts to control the Chicago drug market have brought them into direct conflict with other Chicago gangs, including
4154-506: Is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro-Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. We will be seeking his immediate extradition to the United States so he can be tried for these crimes in the very justice system Special Agent Camarena died defending. We join in mourning the 14 Mexican servicemembers who gave their lives in service to their country and extend our condolences to
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4288-503: Is well known for its variety particularly in regard to mariscos (seafood) and vegetables. Famous dishes include Chilorio and Aguachile . Sinaloan sushi is a popular dish. Newspapers of Sinaloa include: El Debate de Culiacán , El Debate de Guamúchil , El Debate de Guasave , El Debate de los Mochis , El Debate de Mazatlán , El Sol de Culiacán , El Sol de Sinaloa , La I Noticias para Mí Culiacán , Noroeste (Culiacán) , Noroeste de Mazatlán , and Primera Hora. Sinaloa
4422-517: Is younger than 30 years of age. Other demographic particulars report 87% of the state practices the Catholic faith . Also, 1% of those over five years of age speak an indigenous language alongside Spanish; the main indigenous ethnic group residing in the state is the Mayo or "Yoreme" (Cáhita language) people. Life expectancy in the state follows the national tendency of higher rates for women than men,
4556-525: The Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa (English: Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa ), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City , comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico . It is divided into 18 municipalities , and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales . It is located in northwest Mexico and is bordered by the states of Sonora to the north, Chihuahua and Durango to
4690-691: The Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands, at the petition of the United States of America, and with the help of Interpol, on charges related to drug trafficking. The cartel's loss of partners in Mexico does not appear to have affected its ability to smuggle drugs from South America to the USA. On the contrary, based on seizure reports, the Sinaloa Cartel appears to be the most active smuggler of cocaine. The reports also demonstrated
4824-749: The Anglo-Caribbean region ( Belize , Guyana ), Canada ( British Columbia , Eastern Canada ) and the United States (primarily the Southwest , Southern and parts of the Mid-Atlantic ). In 1989, the Sinaloa Cartel dug its first drug tunnel between a house in Agua Prieta, Sonora to a warehouse located in Douglas, Arizona . The 300 feet (91 m) tunnel was discovered in May 1990. Following
4958-474: The Arab Mexican community in the state. In recent years, retirees from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and South America have arrived and made Sinaloa their home. There was also a sizable influx of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in the first decades of the twentieth century. Greeks form a notable presence in Sinaloa, where one can find local cuisine with kalamari and a few Greek Orthodox churches along
5092-561: The Black P. Stones , Vice Lords , and Black Disciples , resulting in an increase in violence in the city. The Sinaloa Cartel has operations in the Philippines as a trans-shipment point for drugs smuggled into the United States. Since 2013, the cartel has been operating in the Philippines after a raid on a ranch in Lipa , Batangas, according to a statement by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Arthur Cacdac, and have entered
5226-798: The Culiacán municipality is reportedly controlled by Mayo. The municipalities of Cosala and Mazatlán are said to have more than one group controlling the territory as well as some of the northern regions of the state, which are purportedly partially controlled by the Beltrán-Leyva Organization . Despite its measured and challenged presence in Mexico however, the Federation is also well known for its large and widespread international presence and its many transnational criminal operations and partners. Locations outside Mexico include Latin America ( Guatemala , El Salvador , Honduras , Nicaragua , Costa Rica , Panamá , Colombia , Bolivia , Peru , Ecuador , Venezuela , Brazil , Argentina ),
5360-539: The Nuevo Laredo region for control of the drug trafficking corridor. Following the 2003 arrest of Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, it is believed the Sinaloa Cartel moved 200 men into the region to battle the Gulf Cartel for control. The Nuevo Laredo region is an important drug trafficking corridor into Laredo, Texas , where as much as 40% of all Mexican exports pass through into the U.S. Following
5494-417: The U.S. Attorney General , the Sinaloa Cartel was responsible for importing into the United States and distributing nearly 200 short tons (180 t) of cocaine and large amounts of heroin between 1990 and 2008. However, during the second wave of America's opioid epidemic in the mid-2010s, which was driven largely by heroin; the prevalence and trafficking of fentanyl began to increase exponentially leading to
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5628-596: The gobierno of Nueva Galicia . In 1564, the area was realigned: the area of Culiacán and Cosalá remained in control of Nueva Galicia, while the areas to the north, south and west were made part of the newly formed Nueva Vizcaya province, making the Culiacán area an exclave of Nueva Galicia. The first capital of Nueva Vizcaya was located in San Sebastián , near Copala , but was moved to Durango in 1583. Starting in 1599, Jesuit missionaries spread out from
5762-549: The "Altiplano". Simultaneous to the announcement of capture was a report of a Mexican Navy Black Hawk helicopter crashing in Los Mochis , Sinaloa. The crash killed fourteen personnel out of fifteen aboard. There were contradictory statements to the press: the Mexican Navy denied any connection, while an unnamed U.S. official tracking the raid told CBS News that the crash was linked to the operation, but said Quintero
5896-531: The 15 most-wanted fugitives of Interpol . If arrested abroad, he would have been immediately extradited to Mexico. The US government offered a $ 20 million bounty for his capture. On May 26, 2020, Caro Quintero's lawyer filed for an appeal to drop not only more recent drug trafficking charges, but also charges filed against him in 2015 regarding the kidnapping and qualified homicide of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar, stating Caro Quintero did not have any chance of obtaining
6030-432: The 1990s, Ismael Zambada also helped grow and expand the cartel while Guzmán and Palma were incarcerated. Before getting directly involved with the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada García was a farmer, freelancer and small-time drug trafficker who would sell mere kilograms of marijuana and heroin before eventually becoming acquainted with Mexico's more elite trafficking circles. By the mid-1990s, according to one court opinion,
6164-399: The 2004 assassination of journalist Roberto Javier Mora García from El Mañana newspaper, much of the local media has been cautious about their reporting of the fighting. The cartels have pressured reporters to send messages and wage a media war. The drug war has spread to various regions of Mexico, such as Guerrero , Mexico City, Michoacán and Tamaulipas . On 30 August 2010, Villarreal
6298-591: The American writer John Clay Walker , and dentistry student Alberto Radelat in 1985. After the murders, Caro Quintero fled to Costa Rica but later that year was arrested and extradited back to Mexico, where he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder. Following his arrest, the Guadalajara Cartel disintegrated, and its leaders were incorporated into the Tijuana Cartel , Sinaloa Cartel , and Juárez Cartel . After serving 28 years in prison, Caro Quintero
6432-469: The Americas; it is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa . Rafael Caro Quintero Rafael " Rafa " Caro Quintero (born October 24, 1952) is a Mexican drug lord who co-founded the now-disintegrated Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and other drug traffickers in the late 1970s. He is the brother of fellow drug trafficker Miguel Caro Quintero , founder and former leader of
6566-730: The Avilés organization. Pedro Avilés would eventually die in a shootout with federal police in September 1978 in Sinaloa . Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, who co-founded the Guadalajara Cartel between 1978 and 1980, from then on; controlled much of Mexico's drug-trafficking corridors along the United States border throughout the 1980s, only to be rivaled by the Gulf Cartel which controlled some of eastern Mexico's drug trade. Félix Gallardo divided up his "Federation" by 1987, just two years after
6700-632: The CDS's international success as largely being due to a horizontal system of organization as opposed to the top-down hierarchy employed by many of its rivals. Having decentralized in order to expand abroad, as well as to allow itself to "[survive] brutal attacks by rival cartels and the capture of its most prominent leader, Chapo Guzman," the cartel's use of this strategy was compared to the semi-autonomous networks of subsidies and local branches used by many legitimate franchises; "Authority for decision-making flows across various components rather than moving downward in
6834-697: The Federal Police of Mexico killed Gonzalo "El Macho Prieto" Inzunza in a gun battle in Puerto Penasco, Sonora. Inzunza was believed to be one of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's chief cartel leaders. Also in December 2013, three suspected members of the cartel were arrested in Lipa in Batangas province in the Philippines with 84 kg (185 lb) of methamphetamine. In February 2014, "El Chapo" Guzmán
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#17327720992496968-606: The Federal Social Readaption Center No. 1, a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico, through a tunnel in his prison cell. Guzmán resumed his command of the Sinaloa Cartel, but on 8 January 2016, Guzmán was captured again during a raid on a home in the city of Los Mochis, in Guzmán's home state of Sinaloa. With the arrest of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, Ismael Zambada has assumed most of the leadership of
7102-608: The Guadalajara Cartel to seek revenge against the DEA and Camarena. In retribution, Camarena and his pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar were kidnapped in Guadalajara on February 7, 1985, taken to a residence owned by Quintero located at 881 Lope de Vega in the colonia of Jardines del Bosque , in the western section of the city, brutally tortured, and murdered. Caro Quintero then left Mexico on March 9, 1985, with his associates and his girlfriend Sara Cristina Cosío Gaona. Mexican Judicial Police chief Armando Pavón Reyes, after receiving
7236-500: The Mexican authorities raided a 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) ranch known as El Búfalo in the state of Chihuahua , owned by Caro Quintero. The authorities reportedly burned more than 10,000 tons of marijuana – totaling a loss of around $ 160 million. Camarena, who had been working undercover in Mexico, was said to be responsible for leading the authorities to the ranch. This allegedly prompted Caro Quintero and other high-ranking members of
7370-450: The Mexican marines who gave their lives in service of their country, and the families and comrades they leave behind. Their bravery and sacrifice will be honored in our quest to bring about greater security for our two nations. On July 24, 2016, while still on the run, Caro Quintero gave an interview to Proceso magazine. In this interview he claims he did not kill Enrique Camarena. He told the reporter that after his release from prison, he
7504-474: The Sinaloa Cartel had been willing to negotiate potential leadership for the Caro Quintero brothers due to their histories as bosses in the predecessor organization. it was believed that while Guzmán's relatives and friends scrambled for marginal leadership positions in the organization, the real top leader was still Ismael Zambada whom allegedly mediated power between them and allowed them an umbrella of
7638-416: The Sinaloa Cartel. On 24 June 2020, Zambada was revealed to be "sick with diabetes ", which reportedly gave El Chapo's sons more influence over the Sinaloa Cartel. This also ended an attempt to recruit former high-ranking Mexican drug lords Rafael and Miguel Caro Quintero as members of the Sinaloa Cartel due to the refusal of El Chapo's sons to grant them leadership status. Under Zambada's leadership,
7772-407: The Sinaloa Cartel. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the Sinaloa Cartel, under the leadership of figures like Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán , expanded its operations significantly, engaging in brutal conflicts with rival cartels and the Mexican government. The cartel diversified its drug portfolio to include cocaine , methamphetamine , and heroin , further solidifying its position as a dominant force in
7906-455: The Sinaloa Cartel. At this time the organization was laundering money at global scale, mainly through British bank HSBC . In January 2008 the cartel allegedly split into a number of warring factions, which caused a major uptick in drug violence in Mexico. Murders by the cartel often involve beheadings or bodies dissolved in vats of alkali and are sometimes filmed and posted on the Internet as
8040-553: The Sinaloa organization was believed to be the size of the Medellín Cartel during its prime. Zambada also helped Amado Carrillo Fuentes expand the Juárez Cartel in the state of Chihuahua and helped incorporate some of the remnants of the Juárez Cartel into the Sinaloa Cartel after Carrillo's death in 1997. The Sinaloa Cartel was therefore believed to be linked to the Juárez Cartel in a strategic alliance following
8174-444: The Tijuana Cartel at a disco club in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco , where eight Tijuana Cartel members were killed in the shootout, the Arellano-Félix brothers successfully escaping from the location with the assistance of David Barron Corona , a member of the Logan Heights Gang . In retaliation, the Tijuana Cartel attempted to set up Guzmán at Guadalajara airport on 24 May 1993. In the shootout that followed, six civilians were killed by
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#17327720992498308-415: The Tijuana airport through the former Ejido Tampico. The "super tunnels" were equipped with power, ventilation and rail tracks to allow the efficient movement of large loads of narcotics across the U.S.-Mexico border. As seen on image 1 Drug tunnel corridors the close proximity of the former Ejido Tampico to the Tijuana airport and U.S.-Mexico border made it an ideal staging area for smuggling operations into
8442-482: The U.S. The United States Intelligence Community considers the cartel to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, perhaps more influential than Pablo Escobar 's Medellín Cartel of Colombia during its prime. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center and other sources within the U.S. the Sinaloa Cartel is primarily involved in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl , cannabis and MDMA . As of 2024,
8576-413: The US. For a long time, the cartel also benefited from the relative ease of cash transactions and money laundering through banks with presence both in the US and Mexico like HSBC. In 2013, the Chicago Crime Commission named Joaquin "Chapo" Guzmán "Public Enemy No. 1" of a city Guzmán has never set foot in. He is the only individual to receive the title since Al Capone. The focal point for Sinaloa in Chicago
8710-431: The United States government issued a petition to the Mexican government. Once the Mexican authorities re-arrest Caro Quintero, the U.S. government has a maximum limit of 60 days to present a formal extradition request. Mexico's Attorney General clarified, however, that if arrested, Caro Quintero cannot be extradited to the United States for the murder of Camarena, because Mexican law prohibits criminals from being tried for
8844-423: The United States, and several other countries. The United States offered a 20-million-dollar reward for information leading to his capture, the highest value among fugitives currently listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Caro Quintero lost his final appeal to avoid extradition to the United States on March 27, 2021. Caro Quintero was arrested in Mexico on July 15, 2022, and is pending extradition to
8978-411: The United States. Rafael Caro Quintero was born in the community of La Noria, Badiraguato, Sinaloa , on October 24, 1952. His parents, Emilio Caro Payán and Hermelinda Quintero, had twelve children; he was the oldest son. His father worked in agriculture and grazing, and died when Caro Quintero was 14 years old. With his father's absence, he worked alongside his mother to take care of his family. At
9112-420: The United States. Co-founder and leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López , one of the sons of El Chapo , were arrested by US authorities in El Paso, Texas on July 25, 2024. Of illicit substances , the cartel's operations seem to mostly favor the trade of cocaine and opioids , particularly in a distribution hub like Chicago , where demand for methamphetamine is relatively low. According to
9246-413: The United States. The Mexican government's conflict with the former Ejido Tampico dated back to 1970, when they expropriated 320 hectares (790 acres) of the Ejido Tampico to build a new runway and passenger terminal at the Tijuana airport and agreed to pay the displaced ejidatarios (the communal farmers) $ 1.4 million pesos ($ 112,000 U.S. dollars in 1970). When the Mexican government failed to indemnify
9380-414: The United States. Mayo's traditional major distribution hubs were allegedly in Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Denver. El Mayo was also reportedly the one who sent a private helicopter for El Chapo after he escaped Puente Grande prison in 2001. The Sinaloa Cartel was partially splintered in 2008 when the Beltrán-Leyva brothers broke apart from the cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel has been waging
9514-406: The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama ; the United States Department of Justice said they were "extremely disappointed" with the drug lord's release and stated that they were going to pursue Caro Quintero for pending charges in the United States. The Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents expressed their disappointment, too, but stated that Caro Quintero's release was a result of
9648-465: The age of 16, he left La Noria and settled in Caborca , Sonora, where he worked in livestock grazing. Two years later, he worked as a truck driver in Sinaloa. He also worked at a bean and corn plantation in Sinaloa before deciding to leave his home state altogether to join the drug trade in the neighboring state of Chihuahua . When he was a teenager, Caro Quintero allegedly began to grow marijuana on
9782-499: The aircraft and the gunmen escaped. On 31 May 1993, Mexican federal agents searching for the gunmen found a partially completed 1,500 feet (460 m) tunnel adjacent to the Tijuana airport and crossing under the U.S.-Mexico border to a warehouse on Otay Mesa in San Diego . It was discovered as Mexican and San Diego officials were discussing the creation of a cross-border airport between Tijuana and Otay Mesa which would have undermined
9916-428: The allegations, the two U.S. citizens were dining in a Guadalajara restaurant when they encountered Caro Quintero and his men as they accidentally walked into one of Caro Quintero's private parties. Caro Quintero is alleged to have then ordered his men to seize the U.S. citizens and take them to a store room, where they were tortured with ice picks and interrogated. John Walker died on the scene from blunt force trauma to
10050-464: The arrest of their rival Osiel Cárdenas Guillén of the Gulf Cartel . Another close associate, Javier Torres Félix , was arrested and extradited to the U.S. in December 2006. On 29 July 2010, Ignacio Coronel was killed in a shootout with the Mexican military in Zapopan , Jalisco . Guzmán was captured on 22 February 2014, overnight by American and Mexican authorities. On 11 July 2015, he escaped from
10184-622: The border. The shipments were mostly bought from the Sinaloa Cartel and at times from the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, and it is assumed that both cartels threatened the Flores crew with violence if they bought from other rival drug organizations. On 11 May 2010, Alfonso Gutiérrez Loera, cousin of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, and 5 other drug traffickers were arrested after a shootout with Federal Police officers in Culiacan , Sinaloa. Along with
10318-474: The capture and murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena Salazar when the threat from American law enforcement became much more pressing. This division of the organization in the late 1980s led to the cartel essentially being made up of several smaller cartels who controlled their own territories and trafficking corridors with their own bosses. This would make it less likely the whole organization would be brought down all at once. One of these cartels (called plazas at
10452-515: The captured suspects, 16 assault rifles, 3 grenades, 102 magazines and 3,543 rounds of ammunition were seized. The Mexican Secretary of National Defense ( Sedena ) reported the arrest of Jesús Alfredo Salazar Ramírez, alias "El Muñeco" or "El Pelos", who was identified as the current lieutenant of the South Pacific Cartel in the state of Sonora. As stated by Sedena, "El Muñeco" worked as an administrator under Joaquín Guzmán Loera, and
10586-495: The cartel in the US. To coordinate operations in the southeast US, Atlanta has emerged as a major distribution center and accounting hub and the presence of the Sinaloa Cartel there has brought ruthless violence to that area. Chicago continues to be a major Sinaloa distribution point for the Midwest, taking advantage of a strong local demand market and convergence of several major interstate systems that offer distribution throughout
10720-534: The cartel remains Mexico's most dominant drug cartel. After the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and his son Ovidio Guzmán López in 2016 and 2023 respectively, the cartel was headed by old-school leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, as well as Guzmán's other sons, Alfredo Guzmán Salazar , Joaquín Guzmán López and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar , until 2024 when both Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were arrested by US authorities in El Paso, Texas. The cartel has had
10854-484: The cartels possess the ability to establish operations in previously unknown areas, such as Central America and South America, even as far south as Peru, Paraguay and Argentina. It also appears to be most active in diversifying its export markets; rather than relying solely on U.S. drug consumption, it has made an effort to supply distributors of drugs in Latin American and European countries. On 19 December 2013,
10988-445: The coast; moderately warm climate in the valleys and foothills; moderately cold in the lower mountains, and cold in the higher elevations. Its weather characteristics vary from subtropical and tropical, found on coastal plains, to cold in the nearby mountains. Temperatures range from 22 °C (72 °F) to 43 °C (109 °F) with rain and thunderstorms during the rainy season (June to October) and dry conditions throughout most of
11122-574: The cob." Yet another etymology from Héctor R. Olea combinsa Cahia sina with the locative "ro" from the Purépecha language and "a" from Aztec atl ('water'), thus "place of pithayas in the water. Sinaloa belongs to the northern limit of Mesoamerica . From the Fuerte River to the north is the region known as Aridoamerica , which includes the deserts and arid places of northern Mexico and southwestern United States . Before European contact,
11256-551: The communities and children who play it. The state is home to several baseball teams such as Tomateros de Culiacán , Venados de Mazatlán , Cañeros de Los Mochis and Algodoneros de Guasave which take part in the Mexican Pacific League . The powerful Sinaloa Cartel ( Cártel de Sinaloa or CDS ) has significantly influenced the culture of Sinaloa. The cartel is reportedly the largest drug trafficking , money laundering and organized crime syndicate in
11390-599: The corruption that besets Mexico's judicial system. Mexico's Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam also expressed his concern vis-à-vis the case, stating that he was "worried" about Caro Quintero's release and that he would investigate whether additional charges were pending in Mexico. On August 14, 2013, a federal court granted the Office of the General Prosecutor (Spanish: Procuraduría General de la República, PGR ) an arrest warrant against Caro Quintero after
11524-446: The country without notice. President Rodrigo Duterte further confirmed the presence of the Sinaloa Cartel in the Philippines, saying that the cartel uses the country as a trans-shipment point for drugs smuggled into the United States. The presence of the cartel in the Philippines has worsened the ongoing war between drug lords, drug cartels and the government in that country. On 4 July 2019, Juan Ulises Galván Carmona, alias "El Buda",
11658-414: The defunct Sonora Cartel . Having formed the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1970s, Caro Quintero worked with Gallardo, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo , and Pedro Avilés Pérez by shipping large quantities of marijuana to the United States from Mexico. He was responsible for the kidnapping of United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena , Camarena's pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar,
11792-494: The disappearance of his son and joined the Mexican Indignados Movement , led by the poet Javier Sicilia . José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa (alias "Chino Antrax") was a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was a leader and founding member of Los Ántrax , an armed squadron formed to protect Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada García, founding member of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was arrested on 30 December 2013, at
11926-453: The discovery by U.S. Customs and Mexican Federal Police, the Sinaloa Cartel began to focus their smuggling operations towards Tijuana and Otay Mesa, San Diego where it acquired a warehouse in 1992. After the assassination of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo and six others at the Guadalajara airport on 24 May 1993, the gunmen boarded a commercial jet. When the jet landed at the Tijuana airport, both police and military units failed to cordon off
12060-399: The dispute and remove the ejidatarios from the privatized Tijuana airport, the Mexican government established a value on the expropriated 320 hectares (790 acres) at $ 1.2 million pesos ($ 125,560 U.S. dollars in 1999) while the ejidatarios of the former Ejido Tampico taking into account the increase in property values from 1970 to 1999 and the privatization of the Tijuana airport established
12194-602: The drug trade. Despite numerous arrests and seizures by law enforcement, the cartel has continued to operate, often employing sophisticated smuggling techniques, including tunnels under the US-Mexico border. It has operations in many world regions but primarily in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Baja California , Durango , Sonora , and Chihuahua . and presence in other regions in Latin America, as well as cities across
12328-656: The drug tunneling operations in the area (see History of the Cross Border Xpress ). The tunnel was described by the DEA in San Diego as the "Taj Mahal" of drug tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border and was linked to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán. It was five times longer than the Agua Prieta-Douglas tunnel and became the first of a series of drug "super tunnels" in Otay Mesa originating in and around
12462-410: The east (separated from them by the Sierra Madre Occidental ), and Nayarit to the south. To the west, Sinaloa faces Baja California Sur , across the Gulf of California . The state covers an area of 58,328 square kilometers (22,521 sq mi) and includes the islands of Palmito Verde, Palmito de la Virgen, Altamura, Santa María, Saliaca, Macapule, and San Ignacio. In addition to the capital city,
12596-452: The ejidatarios for their lost farmland, they reoccupied a 79 hectares (200 acres) portion of the Tijuana airport and threatened armed conflict. As shown by image 2 Ejido Tampico , from 1970 to 2000, the occupied land at the Tijuana airport remained relatively undeveloped. In 1999, the Tijuana airport was privatized and became part of a 12 airport network known as Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (Pacific Airport Group). In an attempt to resolve
12730-688: The financial resources needed to survive a new trial. In court documents, the lawyer stated "The plaintiff argues insolvency, because he says he is more than 60 years old, is neither retired nor has a pension, and given the fact that he is a fugitive from the law, cannot work or perform any activity to earn money." The appeal was filed before the First Collegiate Court in Criminal Matters in Mexico City. Convicted former Guadalajara Cartel leader Ernesto Fonseca , "Don Neto",
12864-417: The founder of Banda el Recodo ; baseball player Jorge Orta , from Mazatlán; actress/comedian/singer Sheyla Tadeo , born in Culiacán ; actress Sabine Moussier ; actress/singer Lorena Herrera , from Mazatlán; and singer-songwriter Chalino Sánchez , from Las Flechas, Culiacán . The state is known for its popular styles of music banda and norteño . Banda was established in the early 1920s, influenced by
12998-577: The head. Albert Radelat was still alive when he was wrapped in tablecloths, taken to a park near the city, and buried. The men's bodies were found six months later, buried at the San Isidro Mazatepec Park in Zapopan . The authorities believe that Caro Quintero had mistaken Walker and Radelat for U.S. undercover agents. Caro Quintero has also been accused of involvement in the murder of US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar . In November 1984,
13132-440: The highest number of casualties in the country. On 20 August 2009, the DEA broke up a large Mexican drug operation in Chicago, and uncovered a major distribution network operated by the Flores crew led by twin brothers Margarito and Pedro Flores that operated there. The drug operation allegedly brought 3,000 to 4,000 pounds (1,400 to 1,800 kg) of cocaine every month to Chicago from Mexico and shipped millions of dollars south of
13266-495: The hired gunmen from Logan Heights. The dead included Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo. The church hierarchy originally believed Posadas was targeted as revenge for his strong stance against the drug trade. However, Mexican officials believe Posadas just happened to be caught in cross fire. The cardinal arrived at the airport in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car, known to be popular amongst drug barons. Barron had received intelligence that Guzmán would be arriving in
13400-484: The image of a tomato , as the state is widely recognized for harvesting this particular fruit in great abundance from Los Mochis in the North to Culiacán in the central region of the state. Agriculture produce aside from tomatoes include cotton , beans , corn , wheat , sorghum , potatoes , soybeans , mangos , sugarcane , peanuts and squash . Sinaloa is the most prominent state in Mexico in terms of agriculture and
13534-499: The late 1970s. He has been cited as a pioneer of the drug trade in Mexico and has been described as one of the pre-eminent drug traffickers of his generation. October 24, 1955 / November 24, 1955 / March 9, 1963 Caro-Quintero also has previous ties to Guadalajara , Jalisco , Mexico , and Costa Rica . Caro Quintero has been accused of ordering the abduction, torture, and murder of writer John Clay Walker and dentistry student Albert Radelat on January 30, 1985. According to
13668-473: The leadership of the organization essentially being split between the Mayo Zambada and Los Chapitos factions of the cartel, much of the state of Sinaloa is also split territorially. Within Sinaloa, the municipalities of El Fuerte, Badiraguato, Mocorito, Angostura, Navolato, Concordia, Rosario, Escuinapa, and half of Culiacán is controlled by Los Chapitos , while San Ignacio, Elota, and the other half of
13802-420: The loved ones they left behind. The United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar also issued a statement the day of the capture: Thank you to SEMAR and the Mexican government for capturing longtime drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero. This achievement is a testament to Mexico's determination to bring to justice someone who terrorized and destabilized Mexico during his time in the Guadalajara Cartel; and
13936-468: The mountains of Chihuahua , which were sent predominantly to the US. He is linked to various homicides, among them the lawyer Rubén Alejandro Cepeda Leos, who was assassinated on 20 December 2011, in the city of Chihuahua , Chihuahua. According to the Sedena he is the assumed assassin of activist Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez, which occurred 28 November 2011. Nepomuceno Moreno was an activist who sought justice for
14070-470: The murder of Enrique Camarena was purely a Mexican affair and opened the door to extradition on 1985 murder charges of the former DEA agent on March 27, 2021. Caro Quintero was arrested in the settlement of San Simón, within the Choix Municipality of Sinaloa on July 15, 2022, and later transferred to the maximum security federal prison Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 , also known as
14204-592: The organization to work under his reign with seemingly, relative autonomy. As of November 2022, the Chapitos and Zambada factions are rumored to have reconciled their recent differences in order to come together to battle the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. At the time of his arrest on 5 January 2023, El Chapo son Ovidio Guzmán was believed to be the leader of the cartel's Chapitos faction. On September 15, 2023, Ovidio would be extradited to
14338-571: The organological style of the European fanfare , and incorporating traditional sones , ranchera , corrido , polka , waltz , mazurka and schottische predominate, as well as more contemporary genres such as cumbia . The first bandas were formed by members of military and municipal bands who settled in the Sierra Madre Occidental during the Mexican Revolution , and were influenced by traditional Yoreme music. Its rich cuisine
14472-476: The partnership of their rivals, the Gulf Cartel and Tijuana Cartel. Following the discovery of a tunnel system used to smuggle drugs across the Mexican/US border , the group has been associated with such means of trafficking. The war between the Sinaloa and Tijuana cartels was supposedly at its worst from 1992 to the year 2000 with family members of some of the cartel's leaders living in fear or "everyday like it
14606-545: The remote forests and deserts of California . According to the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit in Mexico City, as of 2020 the cartel has palpable territory within the Mexican regions of Sinaloa , Baja California , Baja California Sur , Durango , Sonora , Chihuahua , Coahuila , Edomex , Mexico City , Jalisco , Zacatecas , Colima , Aguascalientes , Querétaro , Guerrero , Oaxaca , Chiapas , Tabasco , Campeche , Yucatán and Quintana Roo . Due to
14740-502: The same crime in another country. U.S. lawyers, nonetheless, may argue that Caro Quintero's initial trial was illegitimate in the first place and that double jeopardy is not applicable. In order for Caro Quintero's extradition to be accepted by Mexico, the United States has to present other criminal charges and accept that he would not face the death penalty if convicted, because there are no laws for capital punishment in Mexico. Following Caro Quintero's release from prison on August 9, he
14874-651: The state's coast. According to the 2020 Census, 1.39% of Sinaloa's population identified as Black, Afro-Mexican , or having African descent. Sinaloenses have moved to the United States in large numbers since 1970; a large community lives in the twin towns of Indio, California and Coachella, California about 25 miles east of the resort city of Palm Springs, California in the Colorado Desert of Southern California . The main economic activities of Sinaloa are agriculture, fishing, livestock breeding, tourism and food processing . Sinaloa has on its license plates
15008-514: The state's important cities include Mazatlán and Los Mochis . Sinaloa combines two words from the Cahita language : sina (' pithaya plant'), and lobola ('rounded'); "sinalobola" was shortened to "sinaloa". This most popular etymology is attributed to Eustaquio Buelna . Another etymology attributed to Pablo Lizárraga is Mexica cintli ('dry corn and cob') and ololoa ('to pile up'), and to locative, "where they pile up or store corn on
15142-910: The territory of Sinaloa was inhabited by groups such as the Cahitas , the Tahues, the Acaxees, the Xiximes, the Totorames, the Achires and the Guasaves. In 1531, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán , with a force of over 10,000 men, established a Spanish and allied Indian outpost at San Miguel de Culiacán. Over the next decade, the Cahíta suffered severe depopulation from conquest, smallpox and other diseases brought by Europeans. The Spanish organized Sinaloa as part of
15276-589: The third wave and eventually turning into the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history. Additionally, around 2014 a measurable rise in Colombian cocaine production and global consumption began to increase annually up to the present, currently marking a new high-point for the global use of cocaine. The cartel appears to still have major methamphetamine operations in cities throughout the U.S., such as in San Diego and Atlanta . The CDS as well as other large Mexican cartels have set up major marijuana growing operations in
15410-538: The time) was Sinaloa, with the city of Culiacán acting as its headquarters. In the late 1980s, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) believed the Sinaloa Cartel was the largest drug trafficking organization operating in Mexico. Gallardo was eventually arrested in 1989 and, while incarcerated, he remained one of Mexico's major traffickers, maintaining contact with his organization via mobile phone until he
15544-448: The unpermitted development allowed the building of a 2,400-foot (730-meter) drug "super tunnel" originating from the former Ejido Tampico and adjacent to the Tijuana airport's runway. As prior drug tunnels, it crossed under the U.S.-Mexico border into a warehouse on Otay Mesa in San Diego with the capacity to move multi-ton loads of narcotics. Sinaloa Sinaloa ( Spanish pronunciation: [sinaˈloa] ), officially
15678-445: The year. Its average annual precipitation is 790 millimetres. Numerous species of plants and animals are found within Sinaloa. Notable among the tree species is the elephant tree, Bursera microphylla . According to the 2020 census, Sinaloa is home to 3,026,943 inhabitants, 60% of whom reside in the capital city of Culiacán and the municipalities of Mazatlán and Ahome . It is a young state in terms of population, 56% of which
15812-630: Was a pioneer drug lord in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in the late 1960s. He is considered to be, along with Vicenete Carrillo Leyva the first generation of major Mexican drug smugglers of marijuana who marked the birth of large-scale Mexican drug trafficking. He also pioneered the use of aircraft to smuggle drugs to the United States. Second generation Sinaloan traffickers such as Rafael Caro Quintero , Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo , Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo , Ismael Zambada García and Avilés Pérez' nephew Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán would claim they learned all they knew about 'narcotraficantes' while serving in
15946-437: Was a training ground for the second generation of Sinaloan traffickers. The Guadalajara Cartel was co-founded by Félix Gallardo between 1978 and 1980, marking the next phase in the cartel's history. Under Gallardo's leadership, the cartel controlled much of Mexico's drug trafficking corridors along the US border throughout the 1980s. Following Gallardo's arrest in 1989, the cartel splintered into smaller organizations, including
16080-465: Was arrested by the Mexican Army on 18 March 2009, and extradited on 18 February 2010, to Chicago to face federal charges. He filed a guilty plea agreement and agreed to cooperate with the government on 8 November 2018. As of 2013, the Sinaloa Cartel continued to dominate the Sonora-Arizona corridor, which extends for nearly 375 mi (604 km). It relies on eight "plaza" bosses, leaders of
16214-429: Was arrested. The capture of the Sinaloa Cartel's "El Chapo" Guzmán ignited a fight over the trial's location. Calls for his extradition to the United States started just hours after his arrest. Guzmán also faces federal indictment in several locations including San Diego, New York, and Texas, among other places. On 11 July 2015 "El Chapo" escaped from a maximum security prison , which is his second successful jailbreak from
16348-689: Was captured by Mexican Federal Police. On 25 February 2009, the U.S. government announced the arrest of 750 members of the Sinaloa Cartel across the U.S. in Operation Xcellerator . They also announced the seizure of more than $ 59 million in cash and numerous vehicles, planes, and boats. In March 2009, the Mexican Government announced the deployment of 1,000 Federal Police officers and 5,000 Mexican Army soldiers to restore order in Ciudad Juárez , which has suffered
16482-514: Was freed from jail in August 2013, after a state court concluded that he had been tried improperly. The day after his release, amid pressure from the United States government to re-arrest him, a Mexican federal court issued an arrest warrant against Caro Quintero. Caro Quintero was wanted for his involvement in drug trafficking as well as the 1985 murders. He was at large as a wanted fugitive in Mexico ,
16616-420: Was joined with Sonora as Estado de Occidente , but became a separate, sovereign state in 1830. The Porfiriato era was marked by the administration of Francisco Cañedo, who served multiple non-consecutive terms from 1877 to 1909. After the Mexican Revolution , infrastructure projects and land reform consolidated the agrarian sector, which led to the state being named "the granary of Mexico". The coastal plain
16750-540: Was killed by two hit men in a convenience store in Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo state along Mexico's Caribbean coast. El Buda served as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel's drug trafficking activities and shipments from Central and South America. Los Negros have been known to employ gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha to carry out murders and other illegal activities. The group is involved in fighting in
16884-452: Was no longer able to live the lavish lifestyle he had when he was a major drug lord, was now living in a shabby mountain home, and appeared to be aging and frail. During the interview, he rehashed that he wanted to be left in peace and that he also spends his days looking for drones. He also claimed he was suffering from a prostate -related illness and had not been speaking to his wife Diane or any of his children. He denied allegations of being
17018-758: Was not on board. A press release from the Naval Secretariat of Mexico credited the capture of Caro Quintero in the bushes to "Max", a search and rescue dog . Following these reports, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement addressing both the capture of Caro Quintero in Choix and the downed helicopter in Los Mochis: There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement. We are deeply grateful to Mexican authorities for their capture and arrest of Rafael Caro-Quintero. Today's arrest
17152-480: Was not seen in public. There were rumors, however, that he had paid a visit to his hometown of Badiraguato, Sinaloa. On March 7, 2018, the Mexican military used Black Hawk helicopters to search for Caro Quintero, dropping Marines into the mountain villages of La Noria, Las Juntas, Babunica, and Bamopa, all in the Badiraguato Municipality, but their hunt was unsuccessful. Caro Quintero was among
17286-634: Was sentenced to 40 years for the murder of Camarena and other crimes. The US also hopes to try Caro Quintero, and the DEA still has him listed as a wanted fugitive. Caro Quintero was first imprisoned at the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 maximum security prison in Almoloya de Juárez , State of Mexico. Even though Caro Quintero was to face a maximum of 199 years in prison, Mexican law during that time did not allow for inmates to serve more than 40. In 2007, he
17420-478: Was their last", as stated by Zambada's wife at the time. However, Zambada also used this conflict to his advantage since the Mexican government began to crackdown primarily on the Tijuana Cartel, Mayo used this weakening of his rivals as an opportunity for Sinaloa to step up in the trafficking world. By around the year 2000, Zambada became recognized as one of the biggest and most powerful drug lords in Mexico, having built strong distribution networks from Colombia to
17554-479: Was transferred to a new maximum security prison in the early 1990s. At that point his nephews, the Arellano Félix brothers, left and further solidified the organization which came to be known as the Tijuana Cartel , while the Sinaloa Cartel continued to be run by former lieutenants Héctor Luis Palma Salazar , Juan Jose Esparragoza and Joaquín Guzmán Loera. During this time, Sinaloa was considered to be at
17688-537: Was transferred to another maximum security prison, known as Puente Grande, in the state of Jalisco . In 2010, a federal judge granted him the right to be transferred to another prison in Jalisco. Caro Quintero's Guadalajara Cartel fell apart in the early 1990s, and its remaining leaders went on to establish their own drug trafficking organizations: in Tijuana, a large family formed the Tijuana Cartel ; in Chihuahua,
17822-463: Was tried improperly in a federal courtroom for crimes that should have been treated at a state level: when Caro Quintero was given his 40-year sentence in the 1980s, he was convicted for murder (a state crime) and not for drug trafficking (a federal one). The magistrate ordered Caro Quintero's release after he had served time for other crimes he had committed throughout his reign as leader of the Guadalajara Cartel. The release of Caro Quintero outraged
17956-472: Was visited (separately) by "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. He claims he told them he did not want to return to the business. He also told the reporter that he was no longer a drug trafficker, and peace was the only thing he desired. Huffington Post journalist Anabel Hernández visited Caro Quintero in his home in Mazatlán , Sinaloa, in April 2018. Despite having security guards, Caro Quintero
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