In 2016, the Zetas fractured and gave rise to the Northeast Cartel, a drug trafficking gang based in the city of Nuevo Laredo whose influence extends across the states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, and San Luis Potosí. Meanwhile, the New Michoacan Family is a violent organization based in Michoacán, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, operating in the states of Guerrero, Morelos, and the State of Mexico.
The Tepalcatepec Cartel is led by Juan José 'El Abuelo' Farías, while the Los Reyes Cartel is headed by Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, alias 'Wicho de Los Reyes', with influence in the Tierra Caliente region. Their main objective is to prevent the arrival of CJNG in the Michoacán region. The Michoacana Family, its predecessor, was the group that expelled the Zetas from Michoacán during the first decade of the 21st century.
On the other hand, the United Cartels, a violent organization formed from an alliance of several cartels and criminal groups in Michoacán, involve the Tepalcatepec Cartel, the Abuelo Cartel, and the Los Reyes Cartel. This organization operates practically throughout Mexico and distributes cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl in the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Gulf Cartel, active since the 1980s, has had influence in northern and eastern Mexico. Currently, it focuses on the state of Tamaulipas and, according to reports, has a presence in Quintana Roo, in the Caribbean coast of Mexico. This organization, dominant in the 1990s, faced weaknesses due to splits and now centers on these specific regions.
The Northwest Cartel emerged from the split of the Zetas from the Gulf Cartel after a bloody war in 2010 for control of northeastern Mexico, managing to dominate drug trafficking in various parts of the country. Recently, the United States Government designated six Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, CDN, CDG, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and United Cartels.
These organizations have generated violence and have networks that expand internationally, engaging not only in drug trafficking but also in other crimes such as human trafficking, kidnappings, and extortions. Mexican cartels, like Sinaloa, one of the oldest, have been led by prominent figures such as Joaquín 'el Chapo' Guzmán and continue to operate amid internal clashes and power disputes. Meanwhile, the CJNG has become one of the fastest-growing and most violent cartels in Mexico since its split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2011, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes 'el Mencho'.
