Mexico’s most powerful and feared drug cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, has descended into an internal power struggle following the arrest and extradition of its former chief Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Said internal struggle, which is more and more recognized as a “civil war” throughout the cartel, encapsulated itself in brutal confrontations among factions of comrades fighting for the eyes of the territory’s drug trade. With the conflict now increasingly threatening to do so within US borders, the alarm has spread not only through communities along both sides of the border but also among federal authorities and lawmakers.
This article investigates the causes of the Sinaloa Cartel’s internal strife, potential overflow into America, and what this spells for border security and international cooperation.
Sinaloa Cartel Turf War: The Battle for Post-Chapo Hastingsascade
The Sinaloa Cartel has for years been deemed one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. It controlled Mexican drug trafficking for decades with a far-reaching network that extended much further, reaching deep within the United States. But with the 2016 arrest of its leader, “El Chapo” Guzmán — and his extradition to the United States in January 2017 — it created what officials have said is a power vacuum.
Guzmán’s sons, known as “Los Chapitos” (Iván Archivaldo, Alfredo, and Ovidio Guzmán), attempted to gain control of the cartel but were a weak force in Sinaloa. There were however signs of resistance to this move by other powerful factions within the cartel, especially those still loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the cartel’s original leaders and an ally of Guzmán.
The power struggle within those factions has turned violent. The younger, more violent Los Chapitos have been at odds with the older and subtler faction run by Zambada on how to lead the cartel that has smuggled drugs throughout the hemisphere. Most of the violence has been concentrated in portions of northern Mexico, especially Sinaloa, but there is fear that it could spill across the U.S. border.
Border Security and the American-Mexican Relationship
Indeed, the prospects of an internal Sinaloa Cartel civil war seeping across the US border do not appear to be unfounded. Drug cartels have been flourishing on both sides of the US-Mexico border for years, and activities such as drug smuggling, human trafficking, and money laundering have unfolded primarily in states along the southern border including California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. This scenario could be made worse by increasing violence within the Sinaloa Cartel, which in turn could lead to greater criminal activity and instability on the border.
During its ongoing drug war, internal battles among cartel factions began jockeying for power over smuggling routes; this animosity and battle for territory threatens to increase aggressiveness in cross-border smuggling operations Cartel members likely will threaten police agencies on both sides of the border, as wars over control of smuggling corridors could spill into US border towns.
Refugee Crisis and Human Trafficking — Mexico has already experienced a surge in internally displaced people due to cartel violence. With further escalation of the conflict, a greater number of people will run toward US soil in need of escape, worsening the migrant crisis on our border. Syndicate involvement in human trafficking could cause further people to be smuggled into the US under hazardous delivery conditions.
Rise of cartel violence in U.S. border communities: Cartel violence has long existed on the US border but additional internal strife within Sinaloa could introduce potentially higher levels of uncertainty. There’s reason to believe that these insurgency-style tactics, derived from some of the same speculative outlandish conspiracy theories embraced by a good 40% of Americans, are already being disseminated in the United States — meaning we could be headed for direct cartel-citizen conflicts right at or across our border as US law enforcement brothers in arms.
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Improving border protection
The US authorities are well aware of the fact that violence might spill over from Mexico and have taken measures to beef up border security. US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) mission in a joint operation with Mexican law enforcement has been following Prescott and various factions of the Sinaloa Cartel around for movement and operation. Yet such operations face severe constraints, due to the compartmentalization of Mexico’s law enforcement agencies and rampant corruption that frustrates efforts to combat the cartels.
Mexico:The United States has a venerable tradition of cooperation with Mexico on drug trafficking issues, but recent friction in U.S.-Mexican relations over immigration policies and border security has complicated the relationship. Yet, despite these obstacles, both nations realize the necessity of working together to address cartel violence and secure the border.
Border Patrol and Surveillance The US governmenthas increased border surveillance with military troops in locations recognized as cartel hotspots. This involves stepping up border patrol agents on the ground and thousands of drones to spy on borderline drug cartel movement. But these measures, though they may decrease violence somewhat in the short term, are unlikely to end the scourge of cartel conflicts spilling into our communities.
Mexico and the internal conflict, at which point behind this is Mexico?
The Mexican government has sought to tame a surge in violence within the Sinaloa Cartel. Many have criticized President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s “hugs, not bullets” strategy (against the carpet of social programs, gala activities, and warnings on its back that encouraged people in a clear message: not with the cartels), arguing that confrontation is needed against The carts). The internal battle within the Sinaloa Cartel in addition to violent cartel activity elsewhere in Mexico represents a serious long-term challenge for the country when it comes to reigning in these well-armed criminal networks.
The Mexican government could very well bring stability to the Sinaloa Cartel war.
Law Enforcement Crackdown: Mexican authorities have captured top cartel figures, including Ovidio Guzmán; but such arrests have often resulted in reprisal violence as seen from the bloodshed that followed his arrest and capture. In itself, arrests will not be sufficient to cement peace unless it is part of a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to dismantle the cartel.
Bigger Issue: Mexico suffers from poverty, a lack of economic opportunities, and systemic corruption which contributes to cartel violence. As long as these root causes go unaddressed, criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel will continue to exercise influence and violence will endure. The extent to which Mexico can deliver on these reforms will be pivotal in decreasing cartel influence and lowering the threat level of their conflict, limiting chances for additional internationalization.
The Drug Game, and the Aftermath
Much more than merely a regional dispute, the Apatzingan clusterfuck of 2014 will have ramifications throughout the global drug trade. The cartel still ranks among the top traffickers of illicit drugs, particularly fentanyl, as well as fentanyl analogs that have fed the opioid crisis across America. Even a partial degradation of the cartel’s logistic capacity, whether due to law enforcement actions or internal strife among powerful drug lords within its ranks. would be felt acutely in world markets (likely causing price change and increased competition among U.S.-based criminal organizations and with other producing countries) as is illustrated by past reorganization events cutting across South American countries leading trafficking routes adjustments.
The deepening civil war in the Sinaloa Cartel presents a serious threat to Mexico as well as the United States. competition between cartel factions for coveted drug smuggling corridors raises an even greater prospect of deadly violence creeping from Mexico into the United States The crisis cannot be managed alone by the United States, or Mexico — it must be managed jointly to protect both of our borders from greater destabilization. As the stakes are so high, never before has a more unified and epic response been needed.
