Mexico's War On Drugs: Sinaloa Cartel

Mexico’s War on Drugs
Sinaloa is the hometown of the “Sinaloa Cartel” ran by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman it’s labeled as the biggest as well as the most powerfullest cartel. Sinaloa is known as the “The Drug Capital of Mexico.” Not only is it just the Sinaloa Cartel there are other major cartels involved in the War on Drugs. And other trafficking methods are convoluted.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman the head of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel was born in Badiraguato Mexico. His life was shaped by his family's hardship, and his abusive father who was also involved in the drug trade. He entered the drug trade when he was a teenager, he was kicked out of his home and had to make a living on his own. Guzman had little schooling so he followed his father's
footsteps. He began the sinaloa cartel in 1989, “his cartel produced and smuggled different kinds of illicit drugs like: marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.” El Chapo had been imprisoned many times, but he managed to escape with the help of bribed guards, or tunnels. “On July 11, 2015 Guzman escaped a high-security prison using a mile-long tunnel from his shower to a nearby field.” Guman has a record of escaping a total of 3 time, he was recaptured once again in 2016. While Guzman was imprisoned someone had to take charge, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia. When El Chapo was first incarcerated it was Zambada who oversaw the Sinaloa Cartel’s continued expansion. Zambada is described as “one of the most elusive drug lords whom Mexico has targeted.” He is highly respected by the drug trafficking community. He spread the drug cartel operations for the time period Guzman was in jail.
In 1989 the start of a powerful cartel began, drug trafficking narcotics.
Joaquin El Chapo Loera was brought in the business by his father's friend Pedro Aviles. This cartel is connected through blood, marriage and regional relationships. The sinaloa group has its origins in the state of Sinaloa, on Mexico’s northwest Pacific coast. The Sinaloa Cartel is “responsible for as much as half of the illegal narcotics imported into the United States from Mexico each year.” This cartel uses thousands of semi-trucks, planes, tunnels to transport drugs. Yet the sinaloa cartel is also known for giving back to the community. Some call him “Sinaloa’s Robin Hood” or the “Modern day Pablo Escobar”. Guzman provided work for farmers, sent food to the elderly, gave toys to children on holidays. “He has given money, brought jobs. He helps more than the
president's.”
After the turn of the millennium, drug lords who had “peacefully” conducted operations to introduce cocaine and other illegal substances into the US since the 1950s started battling for turf. “The war escalated rapidly and from 2006 to 2012 it claimed a total of 63,000 lives. Violence became the talk of the town and drug trafficking became the top priority. Cities were turned into battlefields, traffickers were not only killing each other but journalists, mayors, police officers and anyone that got in the way. “Piles of bodies were often found decomposed alongside the territories where the cartels operate.” No one really knew “why” or “how” this war began. “It was impossible to reduce criminal violence because we did not know what had caused that violence in the first place.”
Notorious Mexican drug cartels are making billions of dollar because of drug trade in the United States. “Mexico has been known to produce substantial amounts of marijuana, crystal meth, and cocaine as well as smaller quantities of heroin.” These cartels can buy a kilo of cocaine in Peru or Columbia for 2,000$ but in mexico a kilo of cocaine brings more than 10,000$ and once it's sold on the U.S. border it's worth 30,000$. But also it its broken down into grams it can be sold up to 100,000$. Keep in mind that these numbers are only valued for cocaine, so image the amount of money these cartels bring in with producing and exporting other illicit drugs. Not only are these cartels making trade off of drugs but their trafficking weapons, migrants and smuggling other items.
When friendships end, New ones begin.
Although the Sinaloa Cartel is ranked number one does not necessarily there aren't other cartels involved in these crimes, for example The Beltran Leyva Organization, The Juarez Cartel, The Knights Templar, The Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, and The Tijuana Cartel which each of these organizations are somehow linked to one another. The Beltran Leyva Organization also known as The BLO was originally formed by four brothers once part of the Sinaloa Cartel, they were the “muscle” for Sinaloa against the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. But in 2008 sinaloa and BLO brutally separated, the instability led the BLO to become alliances with Los Zetas, the Knights Templar, and Juarez Cartel in order to “strike back at Sinaloa.” The Juarez Cartel is one of the oldest organizations in Mexico. Originally one of the “most powerful cartels” and was the “Murder Capital of the world for years straight” but that was all before the drug trade was under the control of Sinaloa. In effort to win back “former zones of control” this cartel aligned itself with Los Zetas and the BLO. The Knights Templar are rather a “new group”, they were formed in 2010. “The model themselves as a self-defence movement against other cartels.” Their brutal methods of ritualistic killings and dismemberment of rivals backfired and pushed the Knights from areas across the state. Then there’s the Gulf Cartel which once had powerful funds and were once bonded with Los Zetas but later had broken
violently over the territorial control of the Gulfs home state Tamaulipas. Then the cartel listed as an alliance to with Sinaloa against Zetas. Los Zetas known as the most brutal criminal groups in Mexico. “Committing bloody and audacious acts such as beheadings and petrol bomb attacks.” In 2010 after serving as a military wing the Gulf and Zetas split. Finally there's the Tijuana Cartel, it was among the strongest of the organized crime organizations in Mexico. Although today the cartel is “ a shell of what it once was.” The oldest brother of the family was assassinated and then later the leader was arrestested so it enabled the Cartel of Sinaloa to come in and take control of the Tijuana Cartel.
Mexico’s notorious cartels are just part of the real problem with the War on Drugs. Alliances, murders, weapons, trafficking are all parts twisted into one huge crime scene.