Get you up to speed: Mexican Cartels’ Military-grade Armament Raises Concerns After Leader’s Death
This week’s chaos in Mexico was sparked by the killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, ‘El Mencho’, real name Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, with a presence in all 50 US states and a significant supplier of cocaine to the US market. The cartel has earned billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.
Following the recent killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader ‘El Mencho’, real name Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, chaos erupted across Mexico, with heavily armed gang members pictured online. Current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed criticism of the previous ‘kingpin’ strategy that has led to increased violence after the removal of cartel leaders. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is recognised as a powerful group in Mexico, operating alongside the Sinaloa cartel and involved in the cocaine and fentanyl trade.
After the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, chaos has erupted across Mexico, leading to increased violence among cartels. President Claudia Sheinbaum faces mounting pressure to demonstrate effective action against drug trafficking despite criticism of previous strategies that targeted cartel leaders. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel remains a major supplier of cocaine to the US market, alongside the Sinaloa cartel, which has experienced significant weakening due to internal strife.
What we know so far
Mexican cartels are kitted out like military units – how did they become so well armed? | News World
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After chaos erupted across Mexico following the killing of a key cartel leader, photos of heavily armed gang members have circulated online.
Armed with semi-automatic rifles, tactical gear and even tanks, the images have led many to question just how these criminal organisations became so well-armed.
Part of the massive flow of weaponry is the ‘Iron River’ – the movement of some 200,000 to 500,000 firearms smuggled from the United States into Mexico yearly.
Wholesalers of military surplus are often unaware of where the weapons they sell are ending up.
The US gun market is also hard to monitor, with tens of thousands of gun dealers across the country.
The cartel often weaponsies people with clean criminal records to buy these weapons and smuggle them into the country.
Narco tanks are heavily modified commercial vehicles (Picture: Public)
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Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are armed to the teeth (Picture: Reuters)
Anti-tank rifles, rocket grenades and even tanks have found their way into the hands of cartel members around Mexico.
Those tanks seen in photos this week in Jalisco? That’s a different story.
Rather than smuggling army tanks across the border – a feat which would almost undoubtedly be noticed by patrols – cartels have a different tactic.
Heavy modifications of commercial vehicles create what is known as ‘narco tanks’, fitted with steel armour, firing ports and more.
Most of this heavy weaponry is used in local clashes against other cartels, but some of it is utilised to fight against state police and the army.
Various cartels are at war with one another, vying for control of a multi-billion-pound illicit industry.
In their fight to control the drug industry, cartels are turning to more modern weaponry, including drones and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Mexico’s drug war began as a civil war inside the cartels, triggered by the 1989 arrest of ‘the Godfather, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, for the torture and murder of an American agent.
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While Mexico’s politics changed, the cartels were splintering. Turf wars steadily ratcheted up in the early 2000s despite some modest government action against the once-untouchable traffickers.
Then in 2006, war was declared. The newly elected president sent thousands of troops into the state of Michoacán to drive out the narcos, an operation in which hundreds died.
In 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador took power and promised to end the drug war by promising amnesty for traffickers, reforming the police and pulling the army off the streets.
This hasn’t exactly worked out well. After Donald Trump retook office for the second time, his administration declared a new ‘war on drugs’, designating many of the Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organisations.
Current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, has criticised the ‘kingpin’ strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured.
While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern, and she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.
What to know about cartels in Mexico
Cartels often fight one another for land and drug supply control (Picture: Reuters)
This week’s chaos in Mexico was sparked by the killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, ‘El Mencho’, real name Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 US states.
It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the US market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.
Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, who are both in US custody.
Los Zetas is another dangerous cartel, known for brutal violence such as beheadings and torture of their enemies.
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