* Sinaloa would be controlled briefly by [[Güero Palma]] and El Azul, though they were swiftly arrested or killed, which left [[Joaquin Guzman]] as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Eventually, other members such as [[Ismael Zambada]], [[Coronel Villarreal]] and [[Arturo Beltran]] would join the leadership of the Cartel.
* Sinaloa would be controlled briefly by [[Güero Palma]] and El Azul, though they were swiftly arrested or killed, which left [[Joaquin Guzman]] as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Eventually, other members such as [[Ismael Zambada]], [[Coronel Villarreal]] and [[Arturo Beltran]] would join the leadership of the Cartel.
* The Sonora corridor would go to the Quintero Family. As long as Rafa Quintero remained in prison, his brother [[Miguel Quintero]] would lead the local gang. They were offered to join the Sinaloa Cartel. However, they refused after a fallout with Joaquin Guzman's sons. They remained on good terms however.
* The Sonora corridor would go to the Quintero Family. As long as Rafa Quintero remained in prison, his brother [[Miguel Quintero]] would lead the local gang. They were offered to join the Sinaloa Cartel. However, they refused after a fallout with Joaquin Guzman's sons. They remained on good terms however.
* The Nogales Plaza remained in the hands of [[Rene Verdugo]].
* The Potosino Plaza would remain in the hands of [[Bonifacio Almagro]].
* The Potosino Plaza would remain in the hands of [[Bonifacio Almagro]].
* Finally, the [[Gulf Cartel]], an independent Mexican drug trafficking organization, remained undisturbed.
* Finally, the [[Gulf Cartel]], an independent Mexican drug trafficking organization, remained undisturbed.
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==== Sinaloa Cartel ====
==== Sinaloa Cartel ====
Initially, the Sinaloa area was ruled by several separate drug traffickers such as [[Pedro Aviles]]. The Sinaloa Area transformed into a Sinaloa Plaza, an slightly organized group of drug traffickers. They joined the Guadalajara Cartel. It remained part of the Guadalajara Cartel until it's collapse, after which it turned into the Sinaloa Cartel. Unlike the initial Sinaloa Plaza, the Sinaloa Cartel was organized and larger.
Initially, the Sinaloa area was ruled by several separate drug traffickers such as [[Pedro Aviles]]. The Sinaloa Area transformed into a Sinaloa Plaza, a slightly organized group of drug traffickers. They joined the Guadalajara Cartel. It remained part of the Guadalajara Cartel until it's collapse, after which it turned into the Sinaloa Cartel. Unlike the initial Sinaloa Plaza, the Sinaloa Cartel was organized and larger.
Initially, the Sinaloa Cartel was led by [[Güero Palma]], known as "El Güero", [[Toribio Esparragoza]], known as "El Azul" and [[Joaquin Guzman]], known as "El Chapo". The Sinaloa Plaza and the Tijuana Plaza had always rivalled immensely, though after the collapse of the Guadalajara Cartel relations seemed peaceful. However, at a wedding of [[Enedina Arellano]] and her husband, the Sinaloan [[Armando Lopez]], known as [[El Rayo]], disturbed the wedding. [[Ramon Arellano]] brought El Rayo outside and murdered him.
This angered the Sinaloans, primarily Joaquin Guzman. Guzman and [[Arturo Beltran]], a lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel met up with [[Jesus Gutierrez]], a leader of the Tijuana Cartel. He started disliking the Arellano brothers and wanted control of the cartel himself. Jesus Gutierrez informed them about [[Benjamin Arellano|Benjamin Arellano's]] upcoming birthday. In the meantime, the Sinaloans start collaborating with [[Ismael Zambada]] (known as "El Mayo") and [[Baltazar Vega]] (known as "El Balta") as well. Both are drug traffickers using the Tijuana Cartel, however, not members of it.
At Benjamin Arellano's birthday party, Joaquin Guzman, Arturo Beltran and various sicarios ambushed the place disguised as police units. A gunfight erupted, in which many people were wounded and some died. One of the Arellano brothers, [[Pancho Arellano]] was captured and murdered. The rest of the Arellanos managed to flee the scene.
The war between the Sinaloa and Tijuana Cartels had returned. The Arellano family suspected Jesus Gutierrez of treason and murdered him. Gutierrez was close to the [[Rene Verdugo]], the leader of the [[Nogales Cartel]]. Due to Gutierrez's death, Verdugo ordered attacks on all Arellanos. The Tijuana Cartel was in a declining situation. They attempted to kill several of their drug traffickers working for them, such as El Mayo and El Balta. They also targeted other cartels, being the Nogales, [[Juarez Cartel|Juarez]], [[Gulf Cartel|Gulf]] and Sinaloa cartels.
The Tijuana Cartel had just declared war on most Mexican cartels and was in a bad position relative to the other cartels. However, their only supplier, the [[Cali Cartel]] was ceasing their supply to Tijuana. No other suppliers were available, which made Tijuana weaker.
The Sinaloa Cartel started collaborating with [[Los Mexicles]], a paramilitary group based in Sinaloa, involved with drug trafficking to a certain extent. Los Mexicles sent heavily armoured vehicles to Tijuana and commenced attacking Tijuana Cartel hideouts, safehouses and warehouses. Benjamin Arellano went into hiding, whilst Ramon Arellano was tasked with assassinating El Mayo. However, El Mayo instead had Ramon assassinated.
Another brother, [[Javier Arellano]], was targeted by El Balta, a close accomplice of El Mayo. Javier was brutally murdered. El Balta, his son and his daughter-in-law were murdered later.
The initial founders of the Sinaloa Cartel included:
The initial founders of the Sinaloa Cartel included:
* [[Güero Palma]], nicknamed "El Güero"
* [[Güero Palma]], nicknamed "El Güero"
* [[Joaquin Guzman]], nicknamed "El Chapo"
* [[Joaquin Guzman]], nicknamed "El Chapo"
* [[Salvador Esparragoza]], nicknamed "El Azul"
* [[Toribio Esparragoza]], nicknamed "El Azul"
* [[Talco Uzeta]], nicknamed "Cochiloco".
* [[Talco Uzeta]], nicknamed "Cochiloco".
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* [[Ismael Zambada]], nicknamed "El Mayo"
* [[Ismael Zambada]], nicknamed "El Mayo"
* [[Armando Lopez]], nicknamed "El Rayo"
* [[Armando Lopez]], nicknamed "El Rayo"
* [[Alfredo Beltran]], nicknamed "El Mochomo"
* [[Arturo Beltran]], nicknamed "El Mochomo"
* [[Gabino Salcido]], nicknamed "Gabo"
* [[Gabino Salcido]], nicknamed "Gabo"
* [[Coronel Villarreal]], nicknamed "Nacho"
* [[Coronel Villarreal]], nicknamed "Nacho"
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In Ecuador, the most dominant criminal organization is a criminal syndicate known as the [[Choneros Cartel]]. It was formed in the city Chone. It's founders are [[Josue Veliz]], [[Luis Zambrano]] and [[Macias Villamar]]. The Choneros Cartel, similarly to the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, worked alongside the Maldeira Cartel. Once it collapsed, it grew swiftly.
In Ecuador, the most dominant criminal organization is a criminal syndicate known as the [[Choneros Cartel]]. It was formed in the city Chone. It's founders are [[Josue Veliz]], [[Luis Zambrano]] and [[Macias Villamar]]. The Choneros Cartel, similarly to the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, worked alongside the Maldeira Cartel. Once it collapsed, it grew swiftly.
In Colombia at the time of the Maldeira Cartel, only separate drug lords existed. The Maldeira Cartel loosely controlled these drug lords.
In Venezuela a secretive drug trafficking organization named [[Cartel de los Soles]] was formed. It utilizes the extremely corrupted government to operate. Some sources indicate the highest ranking figures such as presidents, vice presidents and various other titles have also been influenced by Cartel de los Soles. The rampant corruption allowed Cartel de los Soles to seize full control of Venezuela, making it difficult for the Maldeira Cartel to have influence in the region.
In Venezuela a secretive drug trafficking organization named [[Cartel de los Soles]] was formed. It utilizes the extremely corrupted government to operate. Some sources indicate the highest ranking figures such as presidents, vice presidents and various other titles have also been influenced by Cartel de los Soles. The rampant corruption allowed Cartel de los Soles to seize full control of Venezuela, making it difficult for the Maldeira Cartel to have influence in the region.
Revision as of 00:35, 21 April 2025
For a list of Cartels and similar organizations, see List of Cartels.
Brief History
In the Man in the High Brick there's numerous cartels. These are criminal organizations, primarily involved with drug trafficking, though also racketeering and committing various other crimes. Cartels are primarily present in Middle America and South America.
The first cartel to be formed was the Gulf Cartel, formed by Juan Nepomuceno. It was established in Matamoros, a large city in the Mexican State Tamaulipas. It smuggled alcohol in large quantities to the United States during the Prohibition era. Once the United States capitulated to Germania and the Empire of Japan, the Gulf Cartel only bordered the Germanic Zone of America.
Juan was reportedly loved by the local communities and preferred to work alone. The close family of Juan Nepomuceno also was part of the leadership of the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel was the first criminal organization to be considered a cartel, though it was often also considered the Matamoros Plaza.
Juan Nepomuceno attempted to keep the cartel neutral and low-profile to avoid publicity.
Maldeira Cartel
Though the Gulf Cartel was the first organization to be considered a cartel, a few years later the Maldeira Cartel was formed. It's leader, Giovanni Maldeira, sought to create a large criminal organization controlling all of North America and South America.
The Maldeira Cartel was established after Giovanni Maldeira met up with several local drug lords in Mexico. These local drug lords were getting around 10% to 15% profit from the drugs they were trafficking. This relatively low profit was considered a normal percentage, due to there being need for a large amounts of traffickers and long distances.
Maldeira offered these drug traffickers around 30% of the profit if they worked for him. He would lessen the amount of separate traffickers and would organize routes with larger shipments. This allowed Maldeira and the separate drug traffickers to earn more money.
This system allowed Maldeira to ensure the drug traffickers working for him were content, whilst still keeping them relatively poor. Maldeira's intentions to keep them poor were to ensure no uprisings emerge.
This new system put a large amount of other drug traffickers out of business. This forced them to work for Maldeira as well. Maldeira's influence in Mexico grew. His growth allowed him to expand to other countries as well.
Middle America swiftly succumbed to his influence. Colombia, a large producer and trafficker of cocaine, also became part of his sphere of influence. Peru and Bolivia followed soon after, as they also are large cocaine producers. Eventually, Maldeira spread his cartel's influence from all of Middle America to all of South America. However, his influence in Brazil, Southern Chile and Southern & Central Argentina remained minimal.
After a few setbacks Maldeira started aligning himself with the Black Hand, a Mafia organization. Maldeira gave the Mafia members high ranks, often outranking the original drug traffickers. This caused severe unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the drug traffickers. However, the Italians and Maldeira suppressed the revolting drug traffickers by executing them.
Maldeira put Italian Mafia leaders in charge of the large amount of territory his cartel controlled. The Changretta Family and Sabini Family controlled Mexico. Colombia was controlled by Vito Changretta and Arnold Rothstein. However, there were assassination attempts on both leaders, which prompted them to flee the country. This put Benito Changretta in charge of Colombia, though he fled the region swiftly as well.
Collapse
The Maldeira Cartel started collapsing after the Mafia leaders started becoming targets for assassination. Primarily in Mexico and Colombia these leaders were the victim of numerous assassination attempts by lower ranking drug traffickers.
Additionally, the Maldeira Cartel erupted in an internal conflict. The Changretta and Sabini families attempted seizing control of the Cartel. Maldeira and his loyal followers, such as Augusto Romano, attempted to stabilize the organization.
However, the chaos within the organization marked it's downfall. The Changretta and Sabini families had to flee to the Germanic Zone of America or to Europe, primarily Italy. The members that did not flee, were murdered. Primarily the Salamanca Family was responsible for the deaths of the Changrettas and Sabinis.
In Medellin, a city in Colombia, Pablo Escobar, a local drug lord at the time, started defying the Maldeira Cartel's influence, which was collapsing swiftly. Pablo Escobar started drug trafficking larger amounts with his brother Roberto Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria. Soon after, the local group aligned with Jorge Ochoa and Juan Ochoa. Later on, they also aligned with their younger brother, Fabio Ochoa. Jose Gacha, an illegal emerald trafficker who was widely regarded as treacherous towards his associates, also joined the Cartel. Lastly, Carlos Lehder, a drug trafficker, joined the cartel as well. Pablo Escobar officially formed the Medellin Cartel. It was the first one establish itself independently from the Maldeira Cartel.
The Medellin Cartel grew swiftly, gaining more members such as Diego Murillo, also known as Don Berna. It rapidly became the largest cartel in Colombia, trafficking large amounts of cocaine. Following the establishment of the Medellin Cartel, Pablo Escobar became extremely well known in Colombia.
Swiftly after the establishment of the Medellin Cartel, the Cali Cartel was founded. It was founded by Gilberto Orejuela and his younger brother Miguel Orejuela. Their long-term friend Chepe Santacruz also co-founded the cartel. Gilberto was the head of the Cartel, whilst Miguel was in charge of the finances. Chepe was the main trafficker, often visiting cities like New York. He worked there under the alias Victor Crespo, overseeing routes and the cartel's drug trafficking. At some point, Pacho Herrera became the fourth leader after achieving many successes.
The Cali Cartel was a secretive organization. It's leaders and members attempted to keep the Cali Cartel relatively unknown. DEA and SS forces checking Colombia for cartels and attempting to take them down didn't know of the existence of the Cali Cartel for the first few months of it's existence. Additionally, the growing popularity of Pablo Escobar allowed the Cali Cartel to remain widely unnoticed.
During the collapse of the Maldeira Cartel, the Guadalajara Cartel was established. It was headed by Felix Gallardo, Ernesto Fonseca and Rafa Quintero, all three of which were formerly part of drug trafficking organization headed by Pedro Aviles, the most prolific drug trafficker in Sinaloa at the time.
Felix Gallardo was regarded as the leader of the cartel, keeping relations between groups neutral. Ernesto Fonseca and Rafa Quintero were the co-leaders, though they weren't regarded as , instead, they were widely regarded as separate drug traffickers.
Felix Gallardo spearheaded an idea to unite the large criminal organizations in Mexico. He met up with leaders of several "plazas" (drug trafficking organizations). The plazas included the Tijuana, Nogales, Juarez, Potosino and Sinaloa.
Plazas & Territory
The flag of the Tijuana Cartel The Tijuana Plaza was headed by Alberto Falcon. Under Falcon, the Arellano brothers led the Tijuana Plaza as well. Jesus Gutierrez was a separate drug trafficker until he joined the Tijuana Plaza. He had close relations to Falcon and thus was able to receive a high rank in the Tijuana Cartel, though not outranking Falcon or the Arellano brothers.
Felix Gallardo approached Falcon, asking Falcon to allow the Arellano brothers to work for the Guadalajara Cartel as well. Alberto Falcon accepted under the condition the Guadalajara Cartel does not interfere with Falcon's cocaine business. Though Falcon and Gutierrez accepted the deal, neither were fond of the Guadalajara Cartel and preferred the Tijuana Plaza to remain independent.
The flag of the Nogales Cartel The Nogales Plaza was led by Rene Verdugo. Verdugo had close relations to the Tijuana plaza leader Jesus Gutierrez. Due to the participation of the Tijuana Plaza in the Guadalajara Cartel, Verdugo allowed the Nogales Plaza to become part of the cartel as well.
Initially, Verdugo was not keen on joining the cartel. Felix Gallardo scheduled a meeting with Verdugo, in which no deal was made. This kept the Nogales Plaza independent. However, after the Tijuana Plaza also joined the Cartel, Felix and Nogales met up again and the Nogales Plaza joined the cartel as well.
The flag of the Juarez Cartel The Juarez Plaza was ruled by Pablo Acosta. Rafael Aguilar achieved the rank of second in command. Amado Carillo, the nephew of Ernesto Fonseca (Don Neto), was put in charge of the plaza as well after Juarez joined the Guadalajara Cartel.
Pablo Acosta had a long-time rivalry with Pedro Aviles, a prolific drug trafficker in Sinaloa. In a meeting between Acosta and Felix Gallardo, Acosta agreed to work with the Guadalajara Cartel despite the rivalry. However, Aviles banned Acosta from the cartel. Following Acosta's ban, Aviles was killed by Don Neto, allowing Acosta back into the cartel.
The Ojinaga Plaza was a short lived Plaza which was founded by Pablo Acosta after he left the Juarez Plaza. However, soon after the establishment of the Ojinaga Plaza, Pablo Acosta was killed in a gunfight.
The flag of the Potosino Cartel The Potosino Plaza was led by Bonifacio Almagro and Fausto Zapata. Bonifacio Almagro was the cartel boss, whilst Fausto Zapata was the governor of San Luis Potosi. He worked closely alongside Bonifacio, giving him advantages due to his high ranking legitimate position.
The flag of the Sinaloa Cartel The Sinaloa Plaza was ruled by Güero Palma. Eventually, various other drug lords joined the plaza under Palma. In Sinaloa, several several separate drug lords were also present. Mazatlan, a city in Sinaloa, had Gabino Salcido and Ismael Zambada. However, the largest drug producer in Sinaloa for a long time was Pedro Aviles.
Growth
The Guadalajara Cartel was formed when Rafa Quintero, Ernesto Fonseca and primarily Felix Gallardo met up with several plaza leaders and convinced them to join the new larger cartel.
The Tijuana Plaza was led by Alberto Falcon, who initially did not seek to join the Guadalajara Cartel. Only after Felix Gallardo made a deal with Falcon, did he allow the Arellano brothers to work with Felix. In Sinaloa, Felix's boss, Pedro Aviles, had a long lasting rivalry with the Juarez Plaza leader, Pablo Acosta. In a meeting, Aviles banned Acosta from the cartel. Following Acosta's ban from the cartel, Ernesto Fonseca murdered Pedro Aviles.
Initially, the Guadalajara Cartel was supported by DFS, led by Nazar Haro. However, as the cartel started growing, the DFS started demanding more money. Nazar Haro was amongst the men who demanded more money, and was consequently murdered by Felix Gallardo. The new DFS general became Toribio Esparragoza, also known as "El Azul".
The profits were still relatively low until the Guadalajara Cartel started altering it's plantations. Initially they were usually located in remote mountain areas where they were hard to spot and irrigation did not require drilling wells. Yields were relatively low, quality varied and transportation was expensive. The new plantations however were seeded with an improved variety of marijuana, originally developed by American cannabis cultivators. This new variety came to be referred to by Mexican cultivators as "sinsemilla" (meaning seedless) marking the first time growing marijuana without seeds was brought to a grand-scale. This more powerful, higher quality variety brought much higher prices in North American markets. This marked large growth of the Guadalajara Cartel.
The newer plantations were located in remote desert areas. Transportation was less expensive. However, these were relatively easy to locate and required well drilling for irrigation which was highly illegal. However, the Guadalajara Cartel was able to bribe most local police departments.
Throughout most of history, the Colombian Cartels, mainly the Medellin Cartel and Cali Cartel, trafficked their narcotics (primarily cocaine) through the Caribbean. Organizations such as Cuban Gold Cigars were able to profit from the transportation, taking approximately a 30% cut of the profits to use their transportation methods, though it was still the responsibility of the Colombian Cartels.
However, the Germanic Zone of America tightened it's rule on the Caribbean and made the drug trafficking through the Caribbean more expensive and dangerous. After the Colombian Cartels started looking for alternatives, a Honduran drug trafficker, Braulio Castaneda became the new trafficker. Castaneda became very important to the Guadalajara Cartel and after an invitation joined it to smuggle the new flow of drugs. Following this, he became the fourth highest ranking leader of the Guadalajara Cartel.
Colombian cartels started shipping cocaine to Honduras and then to Mexico. After the transportation to Mexico was complete, the Guadalajara Cartel was to transport it over the border into the Japanese, Neutral and Germanic zones of America. Initially, the cut was about 30% to 40% due to the Colombian Cartels taking responsibility if any drugs were lost. However, eventually the Colombian Cartels made it the Guadalajara Cartel's responsibility. The Colombian Cartels would demand 50% of the potential profits. If any narcotics were seized, this would not affect the profit of the Colombian Cartels, but instead the profits of the Guadalajara Cartel. This made the Guadalajara Cartel grow as it became richer and started improving it's narcotics transportation.
Collapse
Enrique Camarena, the DEA agent responsible for the capture of a large marijuana field.
The Guadalajara Cartel however suffered an immense blow once a large marijuana field with an annual production of $8 billion was located and seized by Mexican authorities. Enrique Camarena, a DEA agent, was the main agent behind the capture of the field. This angered Rafa Quintero, who alongside El Azul and others ordered the capture and torture of Camarena. After 30 hours of torture, Camarena was murdered. This caused Operation Leyenda to be formed, which was an operation by the DEA to take down the murderers of Camarena. In anger, Rafa murdered two more Americans in a restaurant.
Rafa Quintero was the main suspect, as the residence where Camarena was murdered belonged to Rafa. He fled Mexico by going to Costa Rica in a private jet. DEA agents and Mexican authorities were notified of Rafa's escape and ordered Costa Rican authorities to arrest Rafa Quintero and extradite him to Mexico. Rafa was quickly arrested and extradited back to Mexico, where he faced 40 years in prison.
Ernesto Fonseca was also rapidly arrested. Rafa's and his arrest put pressure on Felix Gallardo, who went into hiding. Eventually, most drug lords of the Cartel and Felix Gallardo met up in a house in Acapulco, where Felix redesignated the plazas.
Tijuana would be led by the Arellano brothers and Jesus Gutierrez, though effectively the Arellano brothers were fully in charge.
Juarez would absorb the effectively defunct Ojinaga Plaza and be led by the Carillo Fuentes family. The nephew of Ernesto Fonseca, Amado Carillo, would lead the cartel alongside Rafael Aguilar. Rapidly after the formation of the Juarez Cartel, the brother of Amado, Vicente Carillo, would also enter leadership of the Cartel.
Sinaloa would be controlled briefly by Güero Palma and El Azul, though they were swiftly arrested or killed, which left Joaquin Guzman as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Eventually, other members such as Ismael Zambada, Coronel Villarreal and Arturo Beltran would join the leadership of the Cartel.
The Sonora corridor would go to the Quintero Family. As long as Rafa Quintero remained in prison, his brother Miguel Quintero would lead the local gang. They were offered to join the Sinaloa Cartel. However, they refused after a fallout with Joaquin Guzman's sons. They remained on good terms however.
The Nogales Plaza remained in the hands of Rene Verdugo.
The Milenio Cartel was a cartel that was established somewhere around the collapse of the Guadalajara Cartel. It was formed by the Valencia Family. Initially, it remained relatively small compared to other cartels, though it grew swiftly. Eventually, it's leaders would align with Coronel Villarreal, a high ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel. This made the Milenio Cartel a close ally to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Production of drugs was relatively smooth until Oscar Valencia was captured by the military. Juan Valencia became the new leader of the cartel. However, he was arrested soon after as well. Coronel Villarreal was also killed in a gunfight with the military, creating a power vacuum.
The power vacuum allowed separate factions to emerge. One of these groups was La Resistencia, led by Ramiro Pozos. The other large faction that established itself was led by Nemesio Oseguera. Oseguera's faction would later become the Jalisco Cartel. The Jalisco Cartel and La Resistencia became rivals and formed alliances with other cartels to devastate the other cartel.
La Resistencia aligned itself with Los Zetas, a former paramilitary organization for the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas was a rival of the Sinaloa Cartel, which led to an alliance to form between the Jalisco Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.
The remaining Milenio Cartel leaders joined several smaller gangs. Eventually, the Jalisco Cartel ceased it's alignment to the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels after unknown disputes.
Sinaloa Cartel
Initially, the Sinaloa area was ruled by several separate drug traffickers such as Pedro Aviles. The Sinaloa Area transformed into a Sinaloa Plaza, a slightly organized group of drug traffickers. They joined the Guadalajara Cartel. It remained part of the Guadalajara Cartel until it's collapse, after which it turned into the Sinaloa Cartel. Unlike the initial Sinaloa Plaza, the Sinaloa Cartel was organized and larger.
Initially, the Sinaloa Cartel was led by Güero Palma, known as "El Güero", Toribio Esparragoza, known as "El Azul" and Joaquin Guzman, known as "El Chapo". The Sinaloa Plaza and the Tijuana Plaza had always rivalled immensely, though after the collapse of the Guadalajara Cartel relations seemed peaceful. However, at a wedding of Enedina Arellano and her husband, the Sinaloan Armando Lopez, known as El Rayo, disturbed the wedding. Ramon Arellano brought El Rayo outside and murdered him.
This angered the Sinaloans, primarily Joaquin Guzman. Guzman and Arturo Beltran, a lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel met up with Jesus Gutierrez, a leader of the Tijuana Cartel. He started disliking the Arellano brothers and wanted control of the cartel himself. Jesus Gutierrez informed them about Benjamin Arellano's upcoming birthday. In the meantime, the Sinaloans start collaborating with Ismael Zambada (known as "El Mayo") and Baltazar Vega (known as "El Balta") as well. Both are drug traffickers using the Tijuana Cartel, however, not members of it.
At Benjamin Arellano's birthday party, Joaquin Guzman, Arturo Beltran and various sicarios ambushed the place disguised as police units. A gunfight erupted, in which many people were wounded and some died. One of the Arellano brothers, Pancho Arellano was captured and murdered. The rest of the Arellanos managed to flee the scene.
The war between the Sinaloa and Tijuana Cartels had returned. The Arellano family suspected Jesus Gutierrez of treason and murdered him. Gutierrez was close to the Rene Verdugo, the leader of the Nogales Cartel. Due to Gutierrez's death, Verdugo ordered attacks on all Arellanos. The Tijuana Cartel was in a declining situation. They attempted to kill several of their drug traffickers working for them, such as El Mayo and El Balta. They also targeted other cartels, being the Nogales, Juarez, Gulf and Sinaloa cartels.
The Tijuana Cartel had just declared war on most Mexican cartels and was in a bad position relative to the other cartels. However, their only supplier, the Cali Cartel was ceasing their supply to Tijuana. No other suppliers were available, which made Tijuana weaker.
The Sinaloa Cartel started collaborating with Los Mexicles, a paramilitary group based in Sinaloa, involved with drug trafficking to a certain extent. Los Mexicles sent heavily armoured vehicles to Tijuana and commenced attacking Tijuana Cartel hideouts, safehouses and warehouses. Benjamin Arellano went into hiding, whilst Ramon Arellano was tasked with assassinating El Mayo. However, El Mayo instead had Ramon assassinated.
Another brother, Javier Arellano, was targeted by El Balta, a close accomplice of El Mayo. Javier was brutally murdered. El Balta, his son and his daughter-in-law were murdered later.
The initial founders of the Sinaloa Cartel included:
In Ecuador, the most dominant criminal organization is a criminal syndicate known as the Choneros Cartel. It was formed in the city Chone. It's founders are Josue Veliz, Luis Zambrano and Macias Villamar. The Choneros Cartel, similarly to the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, worked alongside the Maldeira Cartel. Once it collapsed, it grew swiftly.
In Venezuela a secretive drug trafficking organization named Cartel de los Soles was formed. It utilizes the extremely corrupted government to operate. Some sources indicate the highest ranking figures such as presidents, vice presidents and various other titles have also been influenced by Cartel de los Soles. The rampant corruption allowed Cartel de los Soles to seize full control of Venezuela, making it difficult for the Maldeira Cartel to have influence in the region.
