The Mexican Version of El Cartel de los Sapos

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat 

The term “Cártel de los Sapos” (Cartel of Snitches) was coined in 2008 by Andrés López, a former drug trafficker who chronicled in a book the collapse of the Norte del Valle Cartel—the last major Colombian criminal organization of which he was a member.

In this context, a “sapo” (snitch) is a trafficker who betrays their organization and provides information about their associates to the United States in exchange for a reduced sentence.

The central premise of the book—which was later adapted into series and films—is that the United States developed an incentive scheme in which traffickers competed to provide information on other members of their organizations; this dynamic ultimately brought down the Norte del Valle Cartel and similar groups.

The United States is now replicating this strategy with Mexico; it requested the extradition of 92 kingpins in three waves. Once in the U.S., these individuals have been forced to negotiate from a position of disadvantage; to avoid spending the rest of their lives in prison, they are providing information about their own organizations, their rivals, and the politicians who aided their operations.

A similar situation arose regarding the accusations against Rubén Rocha Moya and nine Sinaloa officials for collusion with drug cartels; two of the accused turned themselves in to provide information. Furthermore, according to *The New York Times*, 12 high-level politicians linked to the MORENA party—including several governors—are already providing the U.S. with information regarding ties between organized crime and public officials across the country.

This is creating uncertainty not only within criminal organizations but also within government ranks, where former allies could turn into informants. Consequently, many are considering surrendering or at least cooperating with the U.S., as failing to do so carries the risk of becoming a scapegoat for others’ confessions, thereby triggering the disintegration of criminal networks.

Source: Milenio