At Least 40 Criminal Groups Operate in Mexico City

"leChef" and "Morogris" (formerly "MX"); El Financiero, Infobae

Mexico City gangs and their respective municipalities

In Mexico City, at least 40 criminal groups are driving drug trafficking, extortion and homicide activities. Authorities consider these activities "high-impact" social crimes. This information was revealed by Mexico City's Investigative Police of the Prosecutor's Office (FGJ) and the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) yesterday.

These 40 criminal groups are distributed throughout the entire capital. 28 of them operate in a single municipality and the remaining 12 are spread out in several others. The Union Tepito Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) are the groups with the greatest influence. They have presence in 11 and 7 municipalities, respectively.

The gangs Los Molina, Los Rodolfos, Tláhuac Cartel and Lenin Canchola operate in five municipalities each. Some groups have alliances with each other but operate independently. Others are direct rivals. 

Background

In May 2019, the FGJ and the SSC had identified only 25 criminal groups in Mexico City. But the data was updated to 40 as of June 2020.

There are gangs who conduct steal money from personal bank accounts, directly in banks, do bank card cloning and/or are engaged in human trafficking. Authorities say that some of these gangs employ foreigners.

 

Homicide figures in Mexico City

FGJ and SSC officials said that there is a downward trend in crimes like homicide, kidnapping, extortion and robbery. But Mexico City has failed to reach the low figures it had in 2015. 

Union Tepito Cartel (11 municipalities) - This organization was founded by Francisco Hernández Gómez AKA Pancho Cayagua (killed on October 11, 2017) and Armando Hernández Gómez AKA El Ostión Cayagua, in alliance with former members of Los Zetas, including Ricardo López Castillo AKA El Moco (arrested) and Omar Romero Romero AKA El Colosio (arrested).

In 2008, these four criminals formed "a resistance group" which they called La Unión de Tepito, which to date is one of the most dangerous groups in Mexico City. They have been detected in the municipalities of Alvaro Obregón, Azcapotzalco, Benito Juárez, Coyoacán, Cuauhtémoc, Gustavo A. Madero, Iztacalco, Magdalena Contreras, Miguel Hidalgo, Tlalpan and Venustiano Carranza.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel, CJNG (7 municipalities) - This criminal group was created in Jalisco. It is considered by U.S. and Mexican authorities as one of the leading criminal groups in Mexico. It has been operating in Mexico City for more than five years. It started out by forming alliances with smaller criminal groups. By 2019 and 2020, the CJNG broadcasted several videos announcing its arrival in Gustavo A. Madero and Itztapalapa municipalities. It currently competes with the Union Tepito Cartel and has an alliance with the Anti-Union Tepito Cartel.

Below are the following arrests against the CJNG in Mexico City:

 - May 30, 2019: Aldo Jesús Azcona Cortés AKA El Enano and/or El Chucky, identified as head of the CJNG in Mexico City

-February 12, 2020: Carlos Fernando Huerta Núñez AKA El Viejón, identified as head of the CJNG plaza at CDMX.

-April 10, 2020: María del Carmen Albarrán García AKA Cecy Albarrán, identified by authorities as head of the CJNG in Mexico City.

They have been detected in the municipalities of Álvaro Obregón, Benito Juárez, Cuajimalpa, Cuauhtémoc, Gustavo A. Madero, Iztapalapa and Tlalpan.

Tláhuac Cartel (5 municipalities): This organization was founded by Felipe de Jesús Pérez AKA El Ojos. He was killed in 2017 by the Mexican Navy. At the beginning of his criminal career, he joined the gang of Nicolás Andrés Caletri López, a notorious Mexico City kidnapper. Later, together with Óscar Oswaldo García AKA La Mano Con Ojos, he worked for the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. In August 2011, Pérez Luna became independent. After his death and the arrests of Uriel Guzmán AKA El Cochi and Enrique Salazar AKA El Quique in 2018, El Cochi's sons took command of the group. They have been detected in the municipalities of Tláhuac, Iztapalapa, Milpa Alta, Tlalpan, and Xochimilco.

Lenin Canchola (5 municipalities): This organization is led by Lenin Jonathan Canchola, 35, who has been imprisoned twice for robbery and car theft. The main activity of the group is the distribution of drugs in various areas of Mexico City, but they also extort and commit murders and homicides. Among the crimes attributed to him is that of Luis Zamora, DJ Mr. Zamora. The Lenin Canchola group emerged in the Álvaro Obregón municipality, as a spin-off group from the Union Tepito Cartel. Dispute the territory with the Maestrin's gang. They have been detected in the municipalities of Álvaro Obregón, Benito Juárez, Magdalena Contreras, Miguel Hidalgo, and Tlalpan.

 

Homicides in Mexico City municipalities between 2015 and 2020

Below are the criminal groups per municipality/borough: 

Álvaro Obregón

• Unión Tepito

• Lenin Canchola

• El Espárragos

Azcapotzalco

• Unión-Tepito

• Anti Unión Tepito

• Juan Balta

Benito Juárez

• Unión Tepito-Bengala

• Lenin

• CJNG

Coyoacán

• Unión Tepito

• Los Guerrero

• Molina

• Los Rodolfos

Cuajimalpa de Morelos

• El Chepe

• Maistrin

Cuauhtémoc

• Unión Tepito

• Anti Unión Tepito

• Fabian R88

Gustavo A. Madero

• Los Rojos

• Familia La Cruz

• Los Chilas

• Unión Tepito

• CJNG

• Los Negeros

• Los Rudos

Iztacalco

• Unión-Tepito

• Anti Unión Tepito

• Los Rodolfos

• Los Tanzanios

• Juan Balta

• Paco Pacas

Iztapalapa

• Los Tanzanios

• Tláhuac Cartel

• El Richis

• Sindicato Libertad

• Los Molina

• Güero Fresa

• Los Oaxaca

Magdalena Contreras

• Unión Tepito

• Lenin Canchola

• Tercera Acción Destructiva (3AD)

Miguel Hidalgo

• Unión Tepito

• Lenin Canchola

• Banda El Balín

• Banda El Robert

• El Nopa 

Milpa Alta

• Los Rodolfos

• Los Molina

• Tláhuac-Barbas

Tláhuac

• Tláhuac Cartel

• Sindicato Libertad

• Los Molina

• Los Rodolfos

Tlalpan

• Unión Tepito

• Robles 

• Lenin Canchola

• Cártel de Tláhuac

• Los Negros

• Los Papayos

• Los Macedo

• El H

• Los Changos

Venustiano Carranza

• Unión Tepito-Mitzuru

• Anti Unión

• El Pechugas

• Los Tanzanios

• Juan Balta

• El Patines

• Paco Pacas

Xochimilco

• Tláhuac Cartel

• Los Rodolfos

• Los Molina

• Los Estúpidos