The Mexican drug cartel structure is constantly changing, everything in Mexico is so fluid. Just when one thinks one particular cartel has been dismantled, it emerges out of the ashes. Or new ones sprout like some menacing flowers in spring after a downpour.
No one knows who is who. Plaza bosses get promoted as soon as the old one is executed or captured. Keeping track is a nightmare, and very hard to confirm.
CARTEL DE SINALOA
CARTEL DE JUAREZ
CARTEL DEL GOLFO
CARTEL DE TIJUANA
CARTEL DE LOS ZETAS
CARTEL BELTRAN LEYVA
CABALLEROS TEMPLARIOS
CARTEL DE SONORA
CARTEL DE GUADALAJARA
CARTEL DE OAXACA O EL ISTMO
CARTEL DE COLIMA
CARTEL DEL MILENIO
CARTEL DE NEZA
OTHER SMALL CARTELS:
CARTEL JALISCO NUEVA GENERACION
CARTEL DEL CENTRO
CARTEL INDEPENDIENTE DE ACAPULCO
CARTEL DE LA SIERRA
LA FAMILIA
CARTEL PACIFICO SUR
CARTEL LOS PELONES
ARMED GROUPS OPERATING FOR A CARTEL:
LOS TEOS
GUERREROS UNIDOS
COMANDO DEL DIABLO
LA BARREDORA
GUARDIANES DE MORELOS
LOS TEOS
LA REISTENCIA "C.T"
COMANDO NEGRO "CAF"
FUERZAS ESPECIALES MULETAS
FUERZAS ESPECIALES KOREANO "CIDA"
FUERZAS ESPECIALES ZETAS
GRUPO OPERATIVO ZETAS
LA COMPANIA
LA MA~A
SINALOA FEDERATION BEGINING- TO NOW:
LOS LINCES "JUAREZ"
LOS M's "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LA LINIA "JUAREZ"
LOS TEJAS "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LOS CHACHOS "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LA GENTE NUEVA "C.D.S"
LOS ANTRAX "C.D.S"
NUEVA GENERACION DEL CHAPO "C.D.S"
LOS AZTECAS "JUAREZ"
COMANDO X "C.D.S" mixture of G.N and Antrax i guess
BELTRANES FACTIONS SINCE BEGINING TO NOW:
LOS MAZATLECOS "BELTRANES"
LOS NEGROS "C.D.S AND BELTRANES"
LOS PELONES "BELTRANES"
LOS TARASCOS "BELTRANES OR FAMILIA"
LOS NUMEROS "BELTRANES"
LA MANO CON OJOS "BELTRANES"
LOS CHARRITOS "BELTRANES"
LOS GUEROS "BELTRANES"
LOS ROJOS "BELTRANES" they also had a group
FUERZAS ESPECIALES DE ARTURO "BELTRANES"
LOS SULTANES "BELTRANES"
Old school CDG 2003-2008 era some still exist. Back in the Day every border town had their own Nick Name of each CDG faction. I Just dont remember who was who. After the Separation of Zs and CDG, everyone scattered joing one side. Then the CDG internal war, seperated them again. All them groups have songs, either by the Cartel rap singers or Beto Quintanilla and his Brother Chuy.
LOS ARFILES "CDG"
LOS LOBOS "CDG"
LOS ESCORPIOS "CDG"
LOS KALIMANES "CDG"
LOS ROJOS DE LAREDO "CDG"
LOS ORIONES "CDG"
LOS COBRAS "CDG"
LOS DELTAS "CDG"
LOS SIERRAS "CDG"
LOS GAMMAS "CDG"
COMANDO 7 "CDG"
LOS METROS DE REYNOSA "CDG"
LOS L's "CDG"
LOS CICLONES "CDG"
LOS ALACRANES "CDG"
LOS TIBURONES "CDG"
LOS XW "CDG"
other groups that fall uncatagorized:
La Gente Nueva (Nuevo Leon) not sure if it was a branch of the Sinaloas.
CARTELES UNIDOS "The Modern Federation of Sinaloa??"
The flow charts (click for larger version):
THE BEGINNING
NEW CARTELS
No one knows who is who. Plaza bosses get promoted as soon as the old one is executed or captured. Keeping track is a nightmare, and very hard to confirm.
Alliances among cartels change constantly and cells breakaway or start working independently.
For a while I was attempting to update the current affairs of the Mexican drug war, but just when I have it settle some dispute over authenticity of fact derails any attempt to get the beat of the heart in the cartel structure.
So I was happy User G]-[057 in the Borderland Beat forum attempted to give it a go. I thought it looked good, although I am sure someone will dispute some or parts of it, but here it goes:
MAIN CARTELS:CARTEL DE SINALOA
CARTEL DE JUAREZ
CARTEL DEL GOLFO
CARTEL DE TIJUANA
CARTEL DE LOS ZETAS
CARTEL BELTRAN LEYVA
CABALLEROS TEMPLARIOS
CARTEL DE SONORA
CARTEL DE GUADALAJARA
CARTEL DE OAXACA O EL ISTMO
CARTEL DE COLIMA
CARTEL DEL MILENIO
CARTEL DE NEZA
OTHER SMALL CARTELS:
CARTEL JALISCO NUEVA GENERACION
CARTEL DEL CENTRO
CARTEL INDEPENDIENTE DE ACAPULCO
CARTEL DE LA SIERRA
LA FAMILIA
CARTEL PACIFICO SUR
CARTEL LOS PELONES
ARMED GROUPS OPERATING FOR A CARTEL:
LOS TEOS
GUERREROS UNIDOS
COMANDO DEL DIABLO
LA BARREDORA
GUARDIANES DE MORELOS
LOS TEOS
LA REISTENCIA "C.T"
COMANDO NEGRO "CAF"
FUERZAS ESPECIALES MULETAS
FUERZAS ESPECIALES KOREANO "CIDA"
FUERZAS ESPECIALES ZETAS
GRUPO OPERATIVO ZETAS
LA COMPANIA
LA MA~A
SINALOA FEDERATION BEGINING- TO NOW:
LOS LINCES "JUAREZ"
LOS M's "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LA LINIA "JUAREZ"
LOS TEJAS "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LOS CHACHOS "C.D.S OR JUAREZ" ???
LA GENTE NUEVA "C.D.S"
LOS ANTRAX "C.D.S"
NUEVA GENERACION DEL CHAPO "C.D.S"
LOS AZTECAS "JUAREZ"
COMANDO X "C.D.S" mixture of G.N and Antrax i guess
BELTRANES FACTIONS SINCE BEGINING TO NOW:
LOS MAZATLECOS "BELTRANES"
LOS NEGROS "C.D.S AND BELTRANES"
LOS PELONES "BELTRANES"
LOS TARASCOS "BELTRANES OR FAMILIA"
LOS NUMEROS "BELTRANES"
LA MANO CON OJOS "BELTRANES"
LOS CHARRITOS "BELTRANES"
LOS GUEROS "BELTRANES"
LOS ROJOS "BELTRANES" they also had a group
FUERZAS ESPECIALES DE ARTURO "BELTRANES"
LOS SULTANES "BELTRANES"
Old school CDG 2003-2008 era some still exist. Back in the Day every border town had their own Nick Name of each CDG faction. I Just dont remember who was who. After the Separation of Zs and CDG, everyone scattered joing one side. Then the CDG internal war, seperated them again. All them groups have songs, either by the Cartel rap singers or Beto Quintanilla and his Brother Chuy.
LOS ARFILES "CDG"
LOS LOBOS "CDG"
LOS ESCORPIOS "CDG"
LOS KALIMANES "CDG"
LOS ROJOS DE LAREDO "CDG"
LOS ORIONES "CDG"
LOS COBRAS "CDG"
LOS DELTAS "CDG"
LOS SIERRAS "CDG"
LOS GAMMAS "CDG"
COMANDO 7 "CDG"
LOS METROS DE REYNOSA "CDG"
LOS L's "CDG"
LOS CICLONES "CDG"
LOS ALACRANES "CDG"
LOS TIBURONES "CDG"
LOS XW "CDG"
other groups that fall uncatagorized:
La Gente Nueva (Nuevo Leon) not sure if it was a branch of the Sinaloas.
CARTELES UNIDOS "The Modern Federation of Sinaloa??"
The flow charts (click for larger version):
THE BEGINNING
SHIFTS OF POWERS
THE NEW ERA