Updated on: August 13, 2022 / 7:59 AM / AFP A member of the National Guard stands watch over the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood of Tijuana. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! [9] Federal officials in Mexico are deploying hundreds of troops to the border city of Tijuana following a wave of violent attacks. [9] However, since the 2006 Sinaloa Cartel incursion in Baja California and the fall of the Arellano-Flix brothers, the Tijuana Cartel has been reduced to a few cells. [29] Leyva remains at large and Villareal was captured in July 2011. But while it is certainly one of the country's principal national security threats, the reality on the ground is far more complex as the group is embroiled in a patchwork of rivalries nationwide. In early May 2020, Faras lvarez called on vigilante groups in four municipalities to unite and resist the "invasion" by the CJNG. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR Every Mexican president since Felipe Calderon in 2006 has responded to cartel violence by sending the military. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR When the Arellanos start to think everything will go back to normal again, Ramn is killed by Sinaloa soldiers. ", "I think there's a concern that rather than developing civilian institutions that are devoted to law enforcement, we're seeing increasingly the armed forces getting more duties.". But as Flix predicts, relationships between the cartels quickly devolve into an all-out war in season 3, with each group vying for more power and influence. The shootout occurred in the context of a violent drug war between the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels, with Guzman seeking revenge for the murder of the wife and two young daughters of his right-hand man Hector Luis Palma Salazar at the hands of Tijuana hitmen. The power of the CJNG in Jalisco also extends to certain municipalities in neighboring states likeZacatecasandAguascalientes, as well as the coasts ofNayarit, ColimaandMichoacn. The US Treasury Department has included on its blacklists various businesses connected to the cartel in the city. Gustavo became the Investigative Border Reporter at KPBS in 2021. Tijuana is now the . When the war begins, it predictably affects both sides. Shiny SUVs rest curbside. As a result, the Tijuana Cartel reversed their branding back to Cartel Arellano Flix and arranged the assassination of Cabo 33 the Jalisco Cartel's head of operations in Baja California, after effectively removing the Jalisco Cartel's influence in Baja California the Tijuana Cartel has further engaged the Sinaloa Cartel for control of Tijuana plaza and its surrounding areas. In recent years, several shootings have occurred in bars or clubs, where rivals, including the CJNG, are trying to wrest control of this extortion racket. Tal alianza se forj a la sombra de los muros de la crcel de El Altiplano, prisin de mxima seguridad en la que coincidieron Benjamn Arellano Flix y Osiel . Chapo is later arrested and brought to the same prison where Neto is. Following Netos advice, Chapo removes Palma to a different prison, effectively asserting control over the prison and a resurgent Sinaloa. What's more, this model of sending in the National Guard might not do much to calm residents who are resigned to violence. On November 5, 2007, Francisco was sentenced to life in prison, at ADX Florence, after pleading guilty in September 2007 to running a criminal enterprise and laundering money. SINALOA CARTEL Founder: 1989 Originally part of: Guadalajara Cartel Allies: Gulf Cartel, Knights Templar Although one cartel was weakened, simple economics demonstrate how the illicit drug market and organized crime continues to prosper despite cartels coming and going. So strongly, that Mexican authority proves not enough to control the infiltration of the American people. In November 2020 it was reported emissaries from the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel had been seen in Tijuana attempting to form an alliance with the now resurgent Tijuana Cartel. "They are entrenched among local society," Falko Ernst, senior analyst with International Crisis Group, told InSight Crime. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. [44] He pleaded guilty to money laundering and is serving 15 years. Currently, the Sinaloa and Los Zetas Cartels are in a war, forcing other cartels to take sides and new alliances are forming. When the second season of Narcos: Mexico ends, Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo (Diego Luna) is in jail and his Guadalajara Cartel has splintered into three independent cartels: the Tijuana Cartel under the leadership of the Arellano family; the Sinaloa Cartel controlled by Chapo (Alejandro Edda), Palma (Gorka Lasaosa), and Azul (Fermn Martnez); and the Jurez Cartel with Amado Carrillo Fuentes (Jos Mara Yazpik) and Rafael Aguilar Guajardo (No Hernndez) as leaders. In order to wrest control of the city from the Sinaloa Cartel, the CJNG allied itself with the weakened Tijuana Cartel, which rebranded itself as the Tijuana Cartel New Generation (Cartel de Tijuana Nueva Generacin). The Jalisco cartel is also powerful, but more violent. And the people just walk past and come out with bags full of drugs. On 8 November 1992, several Sinaloa Cartel hitmen in police uniforms massacred several Tijuana Cartel members and partygoers at the Christine nightclub in Puerto Vallarta, where Benjamin Arellano Felix was having his birthday party. Despite attempted shows of strength on the fringes of the Golden Triangle, this remains the part of Mexico where the CJNG lacks any real influence. Despite all of the evidence that shows us that this military deployment is not an effective strategy, it has remained at the centerpiece of the Mexican federal governments response to crime and violence, she added. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR Its members use social media and public spectacles of violence to terrorize communities into submission. Their brother, Francisco, is arrested by Walt Breslin, which, combined with other events, prompts Enedina to launch attacks against all their enemies. The unfortunate shooting was part of the battle between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tijuana Cartel. [28] Fernando Sanchez Arellano was arrested by Mexican police in June 2014. ", Carlos Atilano Pea organized the "united for security" rally outside a military base where Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador gave his daily press briefing during his visit to Tijuana. "Because they gained what they were seeking: to have a lot of problems and fear in the population. However, Enedina had her arrested so Season 3 can look at her trying to bring down . Tras conocerse la noticia de su inminente salida de prisin el pasado 18 de agosto, fue mucha la incertidumbre sobre cul sera el futuro del exlder del cartel de Tijuana. And in states surrounding the capital, the CJNG is running into the results ofcriminal fragmentation. To put down the violence, InSight Crime states that a pact was probably created between military officials and members of the Snchez Arellano faction to eliminate Simental's group. Action by the Mexican Authority alone could not maintain the needed control. Grupa pocztkowo bya potna, obecnie mocno osabiona przez ataki si rzdowych i konkurencyjnych karteli. The two groups began to subdue local leaders and demand the payment of the floor; today there is a "war", reveals a journalistic work of the magazine Proceso. In October 1997, a retired U.S. Air Force C-130A that was sold to the airline Aeropostal Cargo de Mxico was seized by Mexican federal officials, who alleged that the aircraft had been used to haul drugs for the cartel up from Central and South America, as well as around the Mexican interior. The Flores brothers admitted to smuggling at least 1,500 kilograms of cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel into the US every month between 2005 and 2008. A drug cartel had hijacked and burned more than a dozen vehicles across his home city of Tijuana, and rumors spread that they had announced a curfew. The latest escalation is not just a repeat of the mid-2000s, but in some ways even more dramatic because of the new factor that is Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who is writing a book about organized crime in Mexico. Its a peace that is totally at the discretion of criminal groups. Areas predominantly controlled by the Tijuana Cartel shown in purple, List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords, "El crtel de los Arellano Flix contina: PGJE", "A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border", "Violence the result of fractured arrangement between Zetas and Gulf Cartel, authorities say", "Femme Fatale Kidnapper Of CAF Members Has Appeal Denied In US Court", "Los Cabos Leave Ice Chests With Remains and Threats for CAF in Snchez Taboada, Tijuana", "Mexican drug runners may have used C-130 from Arizona", "Expert Says Weakened Sinaloa Cartel Under Attack by Rivals", "Mexico: The Price of Peace in the Cartel Wars", "Tijuana's New Calm Shows Benefits of Local Policing in Mexico", "Leyzaola pact con los rivales de El Teo", "Tijuana Cartel Survives, Despite Decade-Long Onslaught", "Why the Jalisco Cartel Does Not Dominate Mexico's Criminal Landscape", "History of DEA Operations DEA History", "Asesinan a Francisco Rafael Arellano Flix en Los Cabos", "The Business Arellano-Felix Cartel Drug Wars FRONTLINE PBS", "Mexican Drug Cartels: Government Progress and Growing Violence", "U.S. charges top leaders of Tijuana-based drug cartel", "DTO 101: The Arellano Felix Organization", Mexican drug cartel boss Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano nabbed, "Mexico captures US-born Tijuana drug lieutenant (July 11, 2011)", "Mexican troops arrest Tijuana drug cartel boss", "Tijuana's Uneasy Peace May Endure Despite Arrests", "Arellano Flix cartel operator "El Chapito Leal" arrested in Tijuana", "Tension high in Tijuana following the arrest of "El Chapito" Leal - the San Diego Union-Tribune", "Mexico's Drug Cartels (CRs Report for Congress)", "Latest drug tunnel, pot seizures may reflect rise of Sinaloa cartel", "Captured Tijuana Cartel Boss Confirms Sinaloa Truce", "DEA CONFIRMS CAPTURE OF BENJAMIN ARELLANO-FELIX", "Mexico home to record 1,400 drug-related deaths in April", "Mexico cartel boss Arellano Felix jailed for 25 years", "Eduardo Arellano-Felix Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face Charges", "Mexican officials warn Americans to stay away", "Sources: U.S. informant oversaw killings", "Juarez murders shine light on an emerging "Cartel in California", "Sources: La Historia de Los Arellano Felix", "Last of Tijuana cartel's Arellano Felix brothers jailed", "Business - The Arellano-Felix Organization | Drug Wars | FRONTLINE | PBS", "Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations", "Tijuana new Generation of Cartel "New Tijuana Cartel", Fatal Shooting in Logan Heights May Have Been Gang-Related - San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tijuana_Cartel&oldid=1131119244, Luis Fernando Arellano Flix (believed to be born 26 January 1966) not currently wanted, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 17:10. The animosity between the two groups has been brimming since the last season. "It's an unfortunate question of culture, narcos culture," she told NPR. Initially, they seem to be collaborating. He bribed the leader of a special forces team sent to track him down to become one of his henchmen, using him to hunt down other cartel bosses in exchange for $30,000 a month. Unlike Sinaloa, Tijuana is shown to be thriving at the start of season 3. The response today has a similar flavor to back then, as Tijuana is blanketed with military protection. Wage theft is commonplace in San Diego. They have a lot of soldiers who are vicious, loyal, and effective. TIJUANA, Mexico Moses Zazueta Ramirez was at home last Friday when he started getting messages from his mom and seeing the chaos unfold on social media. I n Mexico's big cities, drug cartel gunmen normally act like phantoms. In Utah, fentanyl overdose deaths increased 300 percent over a three-year period. On 9 March 2002, Guzman moved in for the final blow. As como tenan una guerra abierta contra los muchachos de Sinaloa, lograron un acuerdo de cooperacin con el cartel del Golfo. Its like shadow puppetry. [52] While the United States proved successful in minimizing and fighting the Arellano-Felix Organization, the effectiveness on combating the war on drugs also proved successful. That was way the Arellano Felix brothers operation included other clans in Tijuana, San Diego and Los Angeles. But along the border with the United States, the group has been involved in a series of violent clashes for control of border crossings. When hes not working - and even sometimes when he should be - Gustavo is surfing on both sides of the border. "The state has lost control," said Victor. Cartel members are accused of bribing corrupt government and military officials in Tijuana to get their product safely to America. Enedina bought out her share and had their mini-plaza absorbed into the Federation, which meant Isabelle had to go again. In Nayarit, the CJNG has also managed to create connections to senior officials, including a former state attorney general and governor. Below are some of the most brutal murders or gun battles that Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel has been responsible of played a major role in. However, the government has. With the imminent release of El Ingeniero and the current consolidations with in Baja California as well as an alliance with Rafa Caro Quintero and the Sonora plaza its speculated the Tijuana Cartel may again rise and surpass both the Gulf and Juarez Cartel's who along with the Sinaloa Cartel are suffering greatly from internal strife. When the second season of 'Narcos: Mexico' ends, Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo (Diego Luna) is in jail and his Guadalajara Cartel has splintered into three independent cartels: the Tijuana Cartel under the leadership of the Arellano family; the Sinaloa Cartel controlled by Chapo (Alejandro Edda), Palma (Gorka Lasaosa), and Azul (Fermn Martnez); and the Jurez [] Tijuana, city, northwestern Baja California estado (state), northwestern Mexico. The Tijuana cartel is present in at least 15 Mexican states, with important areas of operation in Tijuana, Mexicali, Tecate, and Ensenada in Baja California, in parts of Sinaloa,[35] and in Zacatecas. The suspects arrested Tuesday in Tijuana. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Members of the National Guard stand guard outside a military base in Tijuana. In the aftermath, the Guadalajara Cartel split into three different criminal organizations that controlled different territories in Mexico, he said. SAN DIEGO - Oscar Rodriguez-Guevara of Tijuana, Mexico was sentenced today to 162 months in prison for smuggling multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico and then laundering the illicit proceeds, all for the Sinaloa Cartel. [46][47], The Tijuana Cartel is believed to have ties with FARC, a Colombia guerrilla group that also has ties with other Mexican drug cartels. Following the defection of El Mayo's head of operations in Tijuana and the reintegration of its Cabo San Lucas branch it is evident that the Arellano Flix Organization has retaken control of its Tijuana hotbed from outside influences as well as other important hubs in Baja California leaving Mexicali and Rosarito as the last known Sinaloa Cartel outposts in Baja California though how long they will remain under Sinaloan control is debatable with the rapid defection of Sinaloa Cartel operators in traditionally Arellano Flix territories. The war between the Sinaloa and Tijuana cartels may have set the stage for later wars between the Beltrn Leyva and Zetas crime syndicates, but it was the first great narco conflict. The Cartel del Abuelo operates from the municipality of Tepalcatepec, in western Michoacn. ", She also downplayed the severity of last week's attack, saying burning a dozen cars in a city of two million people "statistically does not make it an act of terrorism.". Los Pelones, for example, are dedicated to extorting tourist businesses. [51] The impacts on the United States population were deemed so significant that Members of Congress proposed further changes to migrant policies in border cities like Tijuana. In Baja. [10] This alliance has since dwindled as the Tijuana, Jalisco New Generation, and Sinaloa cartels all now battle each other for trafficking influence in the city of Tijuana and the region of Baja California. Incluso, en 1993 hubo un intento de asesinar al lder del Cartel de Sinaloa. Like other large cartels, the CJNG has found it increasingly difficult to control strategic territories the more it has expanded. The state is important for its ports and access to trans-Atlantic drug routes, as well as being a corridor for human trafficking. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR hide caption. There is no way to know for sure whether the recent violence is a sign of things to come or if it was an outlier, the experts say. In the city of Tijuana, in the Pacific state of Baja California, the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel are the main providers of synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl. SEE ALSO: The Slow Death of Mexico's Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. Tijuana streets flow with the blood of rival drug cartels A vicious turf war has claimed 2,700 lives in Mexico this year. A member of the National Guard stands watch over the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood of Tijuana. They hide in safe houses or . "If the CJNG does happen to act with authority in Mexico City, authorities immediately crack down," Balderas said. Al Crtel de Sinaloa le vendran los mejores aos en su actividad delictiva, mientras el Crtel de Tijuana iba en picada. The Tijuana Cartel failed in its goal of killing Guzman, but Guzman would be arrested in hiding in Guatemala, and he was accused of the murder of the cardinal. 14059. . We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. "It was definitely a flashback of other times where you saw this spectacular violence playing out in the city," said Farfn-Mndez, the security expert. Its leader Juan Jos Faras lvarez, alias El Abuelo,began by leading a vigilante group, or "autodefensa," against the Knights Templar. Yet outside, hundreds of Tijuana residents gathered, encouraged to come by Carlos Atilano Pea a local politician from an opposing political party who is using the moment to spread a very different message. El Teo) favored kidnappings. The president downplayed recent violence and said the Mexican National Guard is taking care of the issue. The Sinaloa Cartel, which is based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is one of the oldest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and was designated on December 15, 2021 pursuant to E.O. [16] Moreover, the Tijuana cartel charges a toll ("piso") on the Sinaloa cartel for trafficking drugs in their territory, which serves as an illustration of the Tijuana cartel's continued hegemony as a local group. On December 1, 2011, William R. Sherman, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's office in San Diego, announced that the cartel had been annihilated and that the Sinaloa Cartel now controlled a large number of the drug routes the Tijuana Cartel once had. Narcos Mexico - Cartel Sinaloa Vs Cartel Tijuana - HD Scenenarcos mexico, narcos mexico season 3, narcos mexico full movie, narcos mexico season 2, narcos me. [15] With the arrest of El Teo in January 2010, much of his faction was eliminated from the city of Tijuana; some of its remains went off and joined with the Sinaloa Cartel. Chapo attacks Benjamn Arellano Flixs (Alfonso Dosal) 40th birthday party and kills Enedina Arellano Flixs (Mayra Hermosillo) new husband, Claudio Vazquez. ", "So nah, I don't think I'm really secure. Sinaloa vs Tijuana During the late 80s and early 90s a huge war broke out after the split of the Guadalajara cartel. Borja Vilalta-Castellanos, 36 . "I don't feel safe.". "This aligns really well with data that we have on the perception that criminal groups have the firepower capacity to effectively confront the state. The rumor about the cartel imposing a curfew on Tijuana wasn't true, but the 23-year-old decided to skip his work at a local restaurant that weekend anyway and stay at home with his girlfriend. Moses Zazueta Ramirez is back at work after taking two days off out of fear of more cartel violence. The other faction, led by Luis Fernando Snchez Arellano (a.k.a. The CJNG has a presence inCiudad Jurez, supposedly bolstered by an alliance with the NewJurez Cartel (Nuevo Cartel de Jurez). El Chapo. Some areas of Mexico have increased risk of crime and kidnapping. InSight Crime believes that this could explain why the Sinaloa cartel has left Snchez Arellano as the figurehead, since it might be too costly for El Chapo financially and politically to make a final push. Among the CJNG's most consistent enemies in the area have been theCartel del Abuelo and Los Viagras. Many of the group's members live in and around the state capital, Guadalajara, and the city is also one of the CJNG's main centers for money laundering. And I'm going to protect the good citizens, the law-abiding citizens. Toya Sarno Jordan for NPR But along the border with the United States, the group has been involved in a series of violent clashes for control of border crossings. At the end of season 3, the soldiers leave, and Benjamin comes back. Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo, the founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, was arrested in 1989. Now there is another battle. The rise of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin CJNG), after its split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010, was rapid. A member of the National Guard pats down a driver who was stopped at a checkpoint in the Gran Tenochtitlan neighborhood in Tijuana. Since at least 2017, a CJNG splinter group, calling itself the Nueva Plaza Cartel, has engaged in regular battles with the larger cartel. Founded by the Arellano-Flix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico". Benjamn Arellano Flix Francisco Rafael Arellano Flix Ramn . What Happens to Jurez and Gulf Cartels at the End of Narcos: Mexico Season 3. A 2021 study by the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies found that 64% of Mexicans think organized crime or drug trafficking groups buy public officials. "I got really scared," Ramirez said. In June 2020, it was reported that the Sinaloa Cartel controlled much of the Tijuana Cartel's former territory and that an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which also resulted in the cartel being rebranded as Tijuana Cartel New Generation (Cartel de Tijuana Nueva Generacin), but this alliance disintegrated very quickly when the Jalisco Cartel showed it intended to take the place of the Sinaloa cartel rather than aid in helping the Tijuana Cartel reestablish dominance and independence. A member of the National Guard patrols Playas de Tijuana. [38][39] It was later reduced to .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}23+12 years in 2015 and he will be released soon. The cartel was involved in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana in the Baja California area. However, after the cartel was involved in the 1985 torture and murder of a U.S. drug . Mexican authorities claim El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel was behind the killings after video footage showed them interrogating rival members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC) days earlier. In this case, the Sinaloa Cartel outweighed the falling Arellano-Felix Organization and gained control of the Tijuana/ San Diego route. A report by the International Crisis Group found at least 20 distinct criminal groups there, vying for control of synthetic drug production, drug trafficking routes coming in via the Pacific and for theincreasingly lucrative extortion of the avocado industry. Los Viagras are a splinter group from both La Familia Michoana and the Knights Templar, devoted mainly to drug trafficking and extortion. hide caption. This is a war the CJNG looks to have won. Tirado then distracted the two men by calling out Ramon's name, and as Ramon and Alamba turned around, two gunmen approached them from behind and shot them several times with handguns. Ruiz was wanted in connection with several murders including a double-homicide last July where the victims were . To comprehend whats happening now, you need to understand the history of the Mexican cartels, said David Shirk, director of the Justice in Mexico program at the University of San Diego. [19], The Arellano Flix family was initially composed of seven brothers and four sisters, who inherited the organization from Miguel ngel Flix Gallardo upon his incarceration in Mexico in 1989 for his complicity in the murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena. [20][21], The Tijuana Cartel has infiltrated the Mexican law enforcement and judicial systems and is directly involved in street-level trafficking within the United States. "The communities are not interested in accepting the CJNG," Ernstadded. La guerra entre los Arellano Flix y el grupo del Chapo no tard en desatarse, explica InSight Crime. [citation needed] Felix received money from members of the criminal group and local criminals to "kick up" money from their illegal activities such as kidnapping and contract killing take half of the money and give it to the Tijuana Cartel to launder it. The two men met up with their contact, Carlos Tirado Lizarraga, who told them about the situation; they were unaware that Tirado had lured them into a trap at the behest of Guzman, who had ordered the kidnapping of Tirado's sister to force him into betraying his boss. hide caption. This has brought the group into regular conflict with the CJNG since 2017 but with no side gaining a distinct advantage. The San Diego-Tijuana border region was jolted just over a week ago, when cartel members launched a campaign of terror on the streets of Tijuana, with vehicles being set ablaze and gunmen. Could more local solutions work. Founded by the Arellano-Flix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico". In the 1990s they formed an alliance with the Cali Cartel and Norte del Valle Cartel for the cocaine business.[48]. It is not because the state has developed effective policies.. The San Diego-Tijuana border region was jolted just over a week ago, when cartel members launched a campaign of terror on the streets of Tijuana, with vehicles being set ablaze and gunmen blocking major thoroughfares. U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez also imposed a $50,000 fine. hide caption. "I think we should really abandon these narco narratives that, even though they can be very sexy and very appealing, do very little in serving us to understand why is it that a place like Tijuana has not been able to reduce levels of violence," she said. The center of Mexico City is largely controlled by La Unin Tepito, a gang native to the capital, though smaller groups such as theCartel de Tlhuacenjoy plentiful incomes from extortion and microtrafficking. As other groups splintered across Mexico, it maintained a hierarchical, disciplined structure that allowed it to gain territory and members. Police stand guard as people take part in the peaceful rally outside the military base. Even their extortion fees are relatively low compared to their rivals. Presumably one of the criminal groups of a coalition could win, Felbab-Brown said. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. At the beginning of season 3, Sinaloa is inarguably the worst-performing organization among all four major cartels active in Mexico. TheSinaloa-Tijuana war was a bloody gang war fought between the rival Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Jalisco, Guerrero, Michoacan, and Oaxaca from 1989 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2002.