Reports according to which the new generation of the Jalisco cartel helps the
The chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel in certain parts of Mexico has developed.
Deborah Bonello, editor -in -chief of Insight Crime, and principal investigator
Parker Asmann discusses the criminal alliance, its structure and the way it
contradicts some of the dominant accounts around the crime organized in
the region.
Déborah: (00:00:02) Welcome to Insight Crime. I am the editor -in -chief, Deborah Bonello, and I am joined by Parker Asmann, one of our main investigators for Mexico. Parker, how are you?
Parker: (00:00:13) I'm fine. Deb, how are you? Thank you for receiving me.
Déborah: (00:00:15) I'm fine. Thank you for helping us unpack this. For some time, we have heard rumors about a relationship between the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel and the new generation of the Jalisco cartel here in Mexico. Can you tell us a bit about what we hear and when it started?
Parker: (00:00:37) Yeah. We therefore began to hear about a possible alliance between the chapitos and the Jalisco cartel towards the end of last year. And this follows largely from a video that has surfaced on the social networks of an armed group presenting itself as the union of the especial fuerzas. And at the end of this video, they express their loyalty to El Mencho, the infamous head of the Jalisco cartel, one of the most sought -after men in the landscape of Mexican organized crime. But they also lent allegiance to Ivan, in reference to Ivan Archivaldo, one of the sons of El Chapo and one of the last chapitos leaders still on the run.
Déborah: (00:01:20) Yeah, and known to be somehow the main force behind the chapitos as we know them, isn't it, in Sinaloa. So how was the alliance structured at the start? What do we know about the type of relationship that these two organizations have developed or developed?
Parker: (00:01:38) That's true. It therefore seems that it is currently a regional alliance, as opposed to something larger and extending to the whole of Mexico. The evidence that we have so far suggest that there is a high commander known as the Jardinero, which would be the right arm of the highest leader of the CJNG, El Mencho. So we are not only talking about an average low -level commander. He is a person with influence and influence within the organization. And he would have agreed to help protect the remaining ruling structure of the chapitos, which takes care of Iván and Jesús Alfredo, the two chapitos brothers still on the run. And he would also have agreed to provide military support at the base of the chapitos in Sinaloa to somehow repel the Mayiza and the Allied factions which attack the chapitos. It therefore seems that at present, the main objective is to protect what remains of the management of the chapitos and to repel the Mayiza, mainly in Sinaloa.
Déborah: (00:02:42) And how has the alliance evolved and extended since we started to hear about it?
Parker: (00:02:48) Yes, as I mentioned, originally, everything seemed to be concentrated on Sinaloa, which is the attachment port of the Sinaloa cartel and where a large part of the fights have concentrated in the past year. But recently, we also found that this alliance extended to the border between the United States and Mexico, in particular to the state of Basse-California and a municipality known as Mexicali. It is an extremely important corridor for drug and weapon trafficking. In addition to factions like chapitos and mayiza, there are also factions of the Jalisco cartel who have been contesting the control of this key corridor for several years now. But for the moment, it seems that the alliance in this specific region focuses on the attack on a group known as Rusos, which has long been one of the most important armed branches of the Mayiza and, in general, one of the most dominant armed actors in this corridor.
Déborah: (00:03:45) You know, it is interesting because when we think of these criminal organizations and that we listen to the reluctance that comes mainly from the American government, but also from the Mexican government, against the cartel of Jalisco Nouvelle Generation and Sinaloa, that would make us believe that it is these big companies that are directed vertically and also that they are big rivals, isn't that? They are therefore somehow against each other. These are very clan organizations that tend to focus on loyalty. But when you see this kind of relationship training, it questions a large part of what the kind of dominant story says about these criminal groups, isn't it?
Parker: (00:04:34) That's true. I think that the American authorities often want to build this very simple story, this environment in black and white easy to understand. But I think that when we look at this alliance between the chapitos and the cartel of Jalisco, it tells us a very different story. I mean, these are very pragmatic and business oriented organizations that work almost like franchises. They want us to consider these groups as massive hegemonic structures, as you mentioned, which are integrated vertically. But I think that reality in the field is much more complex and much more fluid.
Déborah: (00:05:10) That's true. And I think that a large part of our reports really try to add context and nuances to the way organized crime is perceived. Our analysis of the structure of synthetic drugs, the procurement of precursors of China and other countries, and their import in Mexico. And then the creation and manufacture of fentanyl and methamphetamine. We have found that the supply chain is infinitely more complicated than what the perception of the American government, or communication on this subject, would like to let us believe. We examine so many players in the chain, so many different legal and illegal brokers involved in this supply chain. This alliance, this nuance and this complexity say a lot about a large part of what our surveys have encountered.
Parker: (00:06:16) That's true. And I think it happens at a crucial moment when these groups are qualified as terrorist organizations. And I think it is important to really understand how they really work. And I think that this alliance is a perfect case where reality is very different from what we are sometimes portrayed.
Déborah: (00:06:36) Yeah. Well, it's certainly to watch, Parker. And thank you very much for helping us unpack this. For those of you who watch or listen, you can find detailed profiles of all the criminal groups that we have mentioned today, as well as the current evolution of criminal dynamics, not only in Mexico but throughout the region. And Parker, thank you very much to join us.
Parker: (00:06:59) Thank you very much, Deb. It was a pleasure.
