[p. 101], The New England FD reports Mexican TCOs, primarily the Sinaloa Cartel, serve as the main sources of supplies for the Dominican TCOs that dominate distribution of wholesale supplies of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. When the younger Guzmn was arrested by the security forces in October 2019, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen were quick to demonstrate the group's serious military might. The Jalisco cartel has a long record of attacking state forces. But its decade-long attempt to take over the region has so far been frustrated by the local opponents deep political and social roots. We can see the train. But now homegrown criminals are muscling in on the action. [p. 103], Colombian Transnational Criminal Organizations, While Colombian TCOs control the production and shipment of the majority of cocaine destined for consumption in the United States, Mexican TCOs are responsible for its exportation into and distribution throughout the United States. Authorities say the majority of some 20 gang members detained in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City last week were Dominican, shedding light on how the low profile of gang members from the Dominican Republic has allowed their powerful transnational links to be overlooked. He wants to avoid the high political costs past governments have suffered after they declared war against organized crime, so that he can achieve other priorities like structural reforms instead such as in the energy sector, Maldonado said. I was a very stupid kid that easily got scammed and manipulated.Those guys ruined my life and I demand justice!They stole from me and made my life miserable and now is time to end this once it for all.Those guys have my info so I dont want to be frame for something that I didnt do. TV-14 | 12.17.2020. Treasury is targeting these Dominican drug kingpins,. Illicit drugs distributed by the Sinaloa Cartel are primarily smuggled into the United States through crossing points located along Mexicos border with California, Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. 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His brother and top leader of the cartel, Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, was killed in a shootout with Mexican troops in 2010. Meanwhile, state and federal authorities have done little to protect the civilian population. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. To pressure South American drug cartels and Venezuela dictator Nicols Maduro's regime, the U.S. Department of Justice recently indicted Maduro and 14 members of his inner circle for narcoterrorism. To hear Mr. Velez and American officials tell it, the Dominican Republic in the mid-1990's was a drug dealer's paradise. On January 23, 2021, 19 bodies were discovered near the Mexico-United States border, the victims are said to be migrants and were shot and set on fire. The DEA and officials in the State Department believe Mexican cartels are looking to gain greater control of turf outside the Central America and Mexico corridor, which receive the bulk of US focus and financial support. Seven of them have been extradited to . Original content is published under aCreative Commons Licenseper ourTerms of Use. Relations among criminal groups in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Free shipping for many products! BLO splinter groups rely on their loose alliances with CJNG, the Juarez Cartel, and Los Zetas for access to drug smuggling corridors along the SWB. BLO splinter groups rely on their loose alliances with CJNG, the Juarez Cartel, and Los Zetas for access to drug smuggling corridors along the SWB. Late last year, for example, three Colombians, a Spaniard and a Venezuelan all allegedly tied to the drug trade turned up dead after a deal went bad. The truth is, one local said, that the army and the national guard are allied with [United Cartels] they are working together, they are doing operations together, some criminal leaders are even [embedded] with the army, riding in their helicopters and wearing their uniforms.. For years, drug traffickers had been bombing the island with bundles of cocaine thrown from small planes. In Mexico, crime cartels control the flow of illegal drugs through the southern U.S. border, partnering with independent crime groups, American street gangs, prison gangs and Asian money laundering organizations. Millions of dollars worth of cocaine seized in the Caribbean sea, where Mexico's Sinaloa cartel is believed to be carving new drug-trafficking routes. [p. 102], Mexican TCOs also transport illicit drugs to the United States aboard commercial cargo trains and passenger buses. A lack of leadership caused the Zetas to splinter and allowed rival groups to assert dominance, according to analysis from Insight Crime, which monitors organised crime in the Americas. In fact, Milenio reported April 1 that March 2020 was the deadliest month in Mexico for cartel-related killings since the Mexican newspaper began keeping records in 2007. But in July 2019, the drug lord was sentenced to life in prison following one of the most high-profile trials in recent US history. Speaking of conflicts, the COVID-19 crisis is not yet having an impact on the violence in Mexico. The Sinaloa cartel, with its notoriously violent streak and ability to corrupt, would bring a dangerous new element for Dominican authorities. We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. I tried to tell him I didnt had any money left but he refused to listen and told me to find another way to get money or else.Me being so afraid that I didnt wanted to tell this to any of my family members so I ended up taking out money from all my credit cards so yes,you can imagine how this impacted me negatively. Fentanyl continues to be sold as counterfeit prescriptions pills as traffickerswittingly or unwittinglyare increasingly selling fentanyl to users both alone and as an adulterant, leading to rising fentanyl-involved deaths. And the agencies responsible for combatting trafficking have been riddled with corruption. SEE ALSO: Dominican Republic and Venezuela: Cocaine Across the Caribbean. Those who do not comply are driven out of town or killed. [p. 101], Operational Structure in the United States, U.S.-based Mexican TCOs are composed of various compartmentalized cells assigned specific functions such as drug distribution or transportation, consolidation of drug proceeds, or money laundering. It has grown much more powerful in recent years and its rise has been fuelled by its use of extreme violence. Last February, the arrest of elusive figure Joaquin El Chapo (Shorty), head of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, made international headlines and heightened the morale of both Mexican and U.S. authorities. He also reportedly owns various high-end properties, yachts and luxury cars, including a Ferrari and Mercedes Benz. With neither side able to impose its designs on the other or willing to back down, more than 15,500 homicides have been recorded here from January 2011 to February this year. Coatepec Harinas, State of Mexico. San Diego FD reports that both Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG control the Tijuana/San Diego trafficking corridor. the U.S. dollar in particular, has provided an outlet for Mexican TCO drug proceeds that is changing the landscape of money laundering within the United States. Read about our approach to external linking. He was wanted since 1993 for 953 kilos of cocaine hidden in cans of sauce from Panama, and for complicity in the kidnapping and murder of the son of senator Augusto Feliz Matos, Victor. Im afraid that the police might believe that I was doing something illegal or something.This started over 2 years ago and I have enough proof(text message,photos,receipts,names ) to prove my innocent and that I was a victim of a scam but Im afraid that the police might not believe me and say, why didnt you report this 2 years ago when this Whole thing started? Guys I was only 22 years old. Those soldiers would eventually go rogue and form a rival cartel of their own (more on this later). Read more: Mexico's drug war by the numbers. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact. CJNG smuggles illicit drugs into the United States by accessing various trafficking corridors along the SWB including Tijuana, Juarez, and Nuevo Laredo. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. Over the years, the Dominican Republic has become a key transit point in the international drug trade. Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT, Purchase a Trial subscription for $1 for 4 weeks, You will be billed $69 per month after the trial ends, Russian far-right fighter claims border stunt exposes Putins weakness, Germany and Italy stall EU ban on combustion engines, Germany seeks to buy Leopard tanks from Switzerland, Something is boiling: Turkish football fans tackle Erdoan, Ukraine asks EU for 250,000 artillery shells a month, Saudi owner of Londons most expensive house sued over alleged unpaid private jet bills, Panic station at Fox News: how the Murdochs agonised over Trumps loss, UK housing market braced for make-or-break spring, Harrods chief shrugs off recession fears because rich get richer. Police officers work at a crime scene where gunmen killed at least 13 Mexican police officers in an ambush in Coatepec Harinas. We dont want to support any of those groups, one local woman said, but we might not have a choice., 'The training stays with you': the elite Mexican soldiers recruited by cartels, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. [p. 6], Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations, Mexican TCOs continue to control lucrative smuggling corridors, primarily across the SWB, and maintain the greatest drug trafficking influence in the United States, with continued signs of growth. Salvador Maldonado, an anthropologist specializing in the security situation in Michoacn, said this reflects a political calculation by the current administration of President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador who came to power in 2018 offering hugs not bullets. [p. 102], Drug-related murders in Mexico continue to reach epidemic proportions. McDermotts words were republished around the world,, Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafo, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. They moved beyond drugs and turned their hand to any crime that brought them money, from cigarette smuggling to human trafficking. Law and the killing of a Russian propagandist: Some Q & A BY CHARLIE DUNLAP, J.D. At times, Mexican TCOs collaborate directly with local criminal groups and gangs across the United States to distribute and transport drugs at the retail level. That policy resulted in some high-profile scalps notably Arturo Beltrn Leyva who wasgunned down by Mexican marines in 2009 but also did little to bring peace. Indeed, the cartel has gained notoriety for a series of attacks on security forces and public officials. Recent law enforcement reporting indicates opium poppy cultivation overseen by the Juarez Cartel has increased significantly in the State of Chihuahua since 2013, outpacing marijuana cultivation in some regions. In one recording obtained by authorities, Peralta reportedly describes how he trafficked 20 kilograms of cocaine per week into Puerto Rico by plane. We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. BLO activities remain more dispersed throughout the United States, with heavier concentrations in areas with large heroin markets. It became known around this time for trafficking cocaine and marijuana into the US. This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics, Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuelas ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory.