El Narco operate in 18 States, reveal the PGR

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Milenio Article

Subject Matter: Cartel, Cartel Cells, Cartel presence
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

There exists disputes between 36 cells from 9 cartels. CJNG is the organization with the largest presence in the country.

Reporter: Ruben Mosso
The PGR revealed that in the country there are 36 criminal cells that pertain to 9 cartels dedicated to narco trafficking that have extended their operations to 18 of the 32 States, that have detonated acts of violence.

Information from the National Centre for Planning, Analysis and Information for the Combating of Crime, (CENAPI), elaborated that this past month of May, the Sinaloa cartel suffered an internal dispute for control of the organization, this is the group with the most armed wings, with intelligence identifying ten different cells.

The document also signalled that despite attacks on the Beltran Leyva and the Gulf cartel, these groups each have 7 cells in 8 States, wehre in the last weeks and months there have been clashes.

The CJNG, headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, is the group with the largest presence in the nation, because they cover 8 States, to date no cells, groups or gangs that are linked to the organization have been identified. ( Otis: really? I beg to differ see below)

The States resisting the presence of the cartels are: Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Morelos, Guerrero, Edomex, Aguascalientes, Tamaulipas, Quintana Roo, Michoacan, Jalisco, Colima, Guanajuato, Nayarit and Veracruz.

According to the PGR, the criminal groups are distributed as follows:

The Sinaloa cartel have presence in Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Coahuila, Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora. The cells are Gente Nueva, Los Cabrera, cartel de Poniente, El Aquiles, El Tigre, Del 28, Los Artistas Asesinos, Los Mexicles, Los Salazar and Los Memos.

The cartel Arellano Felix only has a presence in Baja California, after for many years dominating narco trafficking, its armed wings and denominated: El Chan, El Jorquera and El Quieto.

La Familia Michoacana, founded by Nazario Moreno, El Chayo and Jesus Chango Mendez, have presence in Morelos, Guerrero and Edomex. Its groups of sicarios are called La Nueva Empresa and La Empresa.

The Juarez cartel or the Carillo Fuentes cartel has dominion in Chihuahua and works with the Los Azetecas gang and has its armed group La Linea, (Otis: and its special forces Los Linces).

The Beltran Leyva organization predominate in zones of Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California Sur, Guerrero, Morelos and Aguascalientes. Its armed wings are Los Mazatlecos, El 2 Mil, Los Granados, Los Rojos, La Oficina, Los Ardillos and the cartel independiente de Acapulco even though many of them are independent.

Los Zetas have dominion in Tamaulipas, and its groups are Grupo Operativo Los Zetas, Grupo Operativo Zetas, and Fuerzas Especiales Zetas. ( Otis: quite a few missing groups here).

The cartel del Gulfo, disputes control of Tamaulipas and Quintana Roo. The armed wings under its command are Los Metro, Rojos, Grupo Dragones, Los Fresitas, Ciclones, Los Pelones and Talibanes.

Los Templarios are still operating in Michoacan with the cell of Los Tena, that is headed by Fernando Cruz Mendoza, El Tena, and the cell of Homero Gonzalez Rodriguez, El Gallito.

Finally, the CJNG are in Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Guerrero, Morelos and Veracruz, ( Otis, they forgot Baja California, Baja California Sur).

Original article in Spanish at Milenio