Caborca Cartel Resists Chapitos in Battle for Sonora, Mexico
A bloody confrontation between the Caborca Cartel and the Chapitos in Sonora, Mexico, has revealed the resilience of Rafael Caro…
‘Mula’: The Bridge Between MS13 and Mexican Mafia in Tijuana, Mexico
One afternoon in 1993, Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, better known as “Mula” within the MS13, took his knife, stabbed a…
Matamoros: a Symptom of Mexico’s Larger Illness
It took the dramatic killing of two US citizens in early March to put Matamoros on the criminal map, but…
The Northeast Cartel and Criminal Hegemony in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
The pastor had just arrived at the shelter with sweetbread when the messages started. As he walked past migrants receiving…
Mexico’s Gulf Cartel Doing Damage Control After Kidnapping, Murdering US Citizens
A faction of one of Mexico’s older organized crime groups is doing damage control with a cheap public relations campaign…
5 Takeaways From US State Department Narcotics Report
The US State Department’s yearly drug report has found that coca cultivation is slowly spreading outside of the three traditional…
MS13’s Mexico Program Key to El Salvador Gang Negotiations
US authorities have made several arrests that could strike a big blow to the MS13’s Mexico Program, in a case…
García Luna Convicted, But Corruption Concerns Endure in US-Mexico Partnership
The conviction of Mexico’s former public security minister, Genaro García Luna, on drug trafficking and corruption charges represents a complicated…
After US Hearing on Fentanyl, Is It Time to Retire the Word ‘Cartel’?
A recent US congressional hearing illustrated how the wanton use of the word “cartel” has made it virtually meaningless and…
How a Priest in Mexico Resists the CJNG’s Incursions
It was around midday when the armed gunmen entered the chapel. Father Rafael Bonilla López** was administering mass. In his…