The 5 Blood-Soaked Drug Cartels Fueled by America's Drug War

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/5-blood-soaked-drug-cartels-fueled-americas-drug-war



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1. Sinaloa

While many Americans learned of the Sinaloa cartel when news broke of El Chapo’s arrest, it has been smuggling drugs in, out of and through Mexico since 1989. In 2010, a U.S. official called Sinaloa “the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world.” Sinaloa is the dominant cartel on much of Mexico’s Pacific side, and its tendrils reach up into the U.S. and down into Venezuela and Colombia. Various reports have placed Sinaloa operatives throughout the Americas, Spain, and Malaysia. Sinaloa is also believed to be a major player in Australia’s cocaine trade.

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2. Los Zetas

While Sinaloa controls much of the western half of Mexico, the dominant cartel on the eastern side is Los Zetas. Originally the muscle for the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas split into an independent cartel in 1999.

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3. Gulf

Down the food chain from Sinaloa and Los Zetas is a shifting constellation of old cartels still hanging on and upstarts looking to carve out new territory. Continued prominence or even existence is not guaranteed for these groups, and all of them have some kind of allegiance, however tenuous, with one of the two giants.

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4. Knights Templar

The Knights Templar cartel, an outgrowth of the now-defunct La Familia Michoacana, is more than just a money-making operation, it’s a cultish social movement, according to Dunagan. Leading members make videos, proclaiming the Knights Templar to be protectors of the Mexican people against “terrorists” like Los Zetas.