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• The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest drug trafficking cartels in Mexico. The cartel's leader, Joaquin Shorty Guzman, is one of Mexico's most wanted.

  On February 25, 2009, U.S. attorney general Eric Holder announced the end of a 21-month DEA operation of the Sinaloa Cartel's operation in the United States. 52 people were arrested in overnight raids on Tuesday in Minnesota, California and Maryland.CNN.com: [http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/25/holder.drug.cartel/index.html?eref=rss_us Arrests 'crushing blow' to Mexican drug cartel, U.S. officials say (February 25, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Base of operations: Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
  2. Cartel's security detail: "Los Pelones"PINR: Mexico's Internal Drug War (August 14, 2006)
  3. Major "plazas": Tijuana, Nuevo LaredoPINR: Mexico's Internal Drug War (August 14, 2006)
  4. Drugs trafficked: Heroin, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, MarijuanaPINR: Mexico's Internal Drug War (August 14, 2006)
  5. Major figures: Joaquin Shorty Guzman, Alfredo BeltranWashington Post: Reputed Drug Lord Is Arrested In Mexico (January 22, 2008)
  6. Major rivals: Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Tijuana Cartel

• Brief History

  The DEA believes that by the late 1980s the Sinaloa Cartel was the largest drug trafficking operation in Mexico.United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: United States v. Felipe DeJesus Corona-Verbera (December 7, 2007) After United States anti-drug-trafficking efforts in the 1980s resulted in the closing of many Colombian drug routes through the Caribbean, traffickers began to use Mexico's Pacific Coast. Colombian traffickers also began to sell drugs wholesale to groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel, and this increased the power and influence of the Mexican cartels.PINR: Mexico's Internal Drug War (August 14, 2006)

• Rivals and Activity

  The Sinaloa Cartel's main rivals are the Gulf Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Tijuana Cartel. These cartels battle over narcotic procurement points from South America and Central America as well as major entry points, or "plazas," into the United States, such as Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo. The most prominent current procurement point is in Acapulco.PINR: Mexico's Internal Drug War (August 14, 2006)

• Leaders and Arrests

  The current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is Joaquin Guzman, who goes by the nickname "El Chapo" or "Shorty." In 2001, Guzman escaped from federal prison in Mexico and he is currently a fugitive.Washington Post: Reputed Drug Lord Is Arrested In Mexico (January 22, 2008) Alfredo Beltran, a top commander in the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested in Culiacan in January, 2008.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  United States | Mexico | Alfredo Beltran | Osiel Cardenas | Gulf Cartel | US-Mexico Drug Plan | Culiacan Drug Raid | Laura Zuniga | Joaquin Shorty Guzman

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