Mexico

Mexico’s security landscape is characterized by violent disputes between criminal groups fighting for control over illicit economies. The ensuing political violence, and the burden this places on the civilian population, has resulted in Mexico continually ranking amongst the world’s most extreme conflicts according to the ACLED Conflict Index.

Cartel Activity in Mexico

The current security situation in Mexico can be traced back to the 1980s when criminal groups dedicated to smuggling drugs to the United States started expanding their reach to benefit from the re-orientation of Colombia’s drug trafficking routes from the Caribbean to Mexico. Up until the late 1990s, four main cartels controlled drug trafficking zones in the country, but with time, competition over these illicit economies in the country has shifted, fragmenting Mexico’s gang landscape. Intra- and inter-cartel struggles and attempts by governments to dismantle criminal leaders have led to hundreds of groups vying for control, sometimes forming volatile and shifting alliances. These groups’ economic activities have diversified to include activities like extortion, oil theft, illegal mining, timber contraband, kidnapping and forced disappearances, and human trafficking. This is often carried out in collusion with co-opted or corrupt officials, which has led to an erosion of trust in Mexico’s judicial and executive institutions.

Despite attempts by successive governments to clamp down on the violence fuelled by illicit economies, gangs and cartels continue to pose the greatest threat to public safety and security.  Mexico also featured prominently in ACLED’s special series of violence targeting local officials because political figures are often targeted by these criminal groups, particularly around elections, when these groups try to influence the outcome. 

Group highlight: Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels. It emerged as a splinter group of the Milenio cartel, a criminal organization that had formed loose alliances with the Sinaloa cartel. With time, it has grown into an independent drug-producing and trafficking organization that supplies global markets.

The cartel poses a significant threat to civilians due to its extreme use of public violence to establish territorial authority. Its use of mass killings, public executions, violent confrontations with security forces, kidnapping, and forced disappearances have terrorized local populations. The group also relies on extortion, human trafficking, illegal mining, and oil theft to bolster its income.

CJNG maintains a strong foothold in its traditional areas of operation in the central western states of Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit. The group has sought to expand its operations across the country to gain control over strategic drug trafficking corridors, export-oriented areas, and migration routes. With time, CJNG has expanded its presence across the country, with high levels of activity in Baja California, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Veracruz, and Zacatecas states. It has further extended its reach to other countries, defying the Sinaloa cartel’s dominance at home and abroad.