5 Takeaways From US Indictments of Chapitos, Associates
US prosecutors have taken aim at one of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking enterprises, the Chapitos, in a series of…
DEA Criticized for Tame Review of Foreign Operations
A long-awaited review of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s foreign operations has faced criticism from experts who say the report…
‘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…
What Mexico’s Posture on Fentanyl Says About US Relations
Regardless of whether Mexican criminal organizations are synthesizing fentanyl at home or are getting it from abroad, the Mexican government’s…
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…
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…
Pablo Escobar and the Real Criminal Story of the Cocaine Bear
The sight of a bear enthusiastically snorting a line of cocaine off a severed human leg may be an enduring…
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…