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Indonesian Central Bank Governor’s Resignation Exposes Political Influence The Sinaloa Cartel has long ruled the drug trade in the Western hemisphere. But now, it’s tearing itself apart.
Since July 2024, two of the group’s most powerful factions have been locked in a brutal war, split along family lines between the empires built by Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” and Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo.”
This post is part of our annual Summer InSights series. See the full series here.
The split was sparked by an alleged betrayal. Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, allegedly lured El Mayo into a trap and then handed him over into US custody. Carnage ensued, spreading from the Sinaloa Cartel’s stronghold in Sinaloa across northern Mexico, driving up homicides, forced disappearances, extortion, and attacks on security forces.
The rift is reshaping criminal alliances, with smaller criminal groups forced to choose sides. Meanwhile, the rival Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG) is seizing new territory as its rivals are distracted by their internecine war, which also opens the door to other players and more violence.
Related Content
Dig deeper into the history behind the bitter feud between the Sinaloa Cartel’s rival factions and discover how their conflict is reshaping the landscape of organized crime in Mexico.
Audio Content
Criminal Profiles
Explore the criminal careers of the Sinaloa Cartel founders and the battle lines drawn between their now-rival factions.
Don’t miss the rest of the Summer InSights 2026 series
We hope you enjoyed the third edition of Summer InSights 2026! If you’d like to learn more about the Sinaloa Cartel’s internal war—the various betrayals between the factions and the feud’s impact on organized crime in Mexico and beyond—we’ll be releasing a special collection of articles for donors once the Summer InSights series concludes. See you next week for the final chapter of Summer InSights!
If you like deep dives into the stories behind the news, don’t miss the latest episodes in season two of our podcast. A new episode out each week.
