The Next Generation of Criminal Groups Driving Violence in Mexico
BELTRAN LEYVA ORG
/
12 AUG 2021
BY VICTORIA DITTMAR, PAIGE BOWMAN AND SANTIAGO PREVIDE
EN
Mexico's process of criminal fragmentation has been a slow burn. Many of the country's mightiest criminal groups have been unable to stay united due to internal strife, incursions from rivals or the arrests and killings of key leaders.
But while some powerhouses like the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG) remain intact, smaller, hyper-violent and localized groups have become real national security threats. Many are splinters of old cartel structures, maintaining previous allegiances, while others were once dedicated oil thieves or drug transporters who gradually leveled up.
What's left is a volatile landscape where these groups can have an outsized influence. Below, InSight Crime profiles the most important newer criminal actors in Mexico.
La Línea
La Línea began life as an armed wing of the Juárez Cartel, intended to help the organization defend its border territories in and around Ciudad Juárez in the state of Chihuahua, right next to El Paso, Texas. The Juárez Cartel reportedly hired acting and former police to join La Línea, but the group has always had a strong degree of autonomy. InSight Crime has reported that this cell has operated independently since its inception, even taxing the Juárez and Sinaloa cartels to move their merchandise through the Juárez Valley.
La Línea has broadened its horizons, reportedly being involved in microtrafficking, synthetic drug trafficking, illegal logging and car theft in Chihuahua. The group has established an important presence in Ciudad Juárez, where it has access to routes to the US-Mexico border.
In February 2021, various media outlets reported that the Attorney General’s Office was aware of a meeting between members of the CJNG and La Línea, presumably to discuss an alliance to combat the Sinaloa Cartel. However, Chihuahua prosecutor César Augusto Peniche denied evidence of any alliance.
The violence employed by La Línea affects the neighboring states of Chihuahua and Sonora, where the group has clashed with Sinaloa Cartel cells like Gente Nueva in Chihuahua and the Salazar in Sonora. In fact, La Línea was one of the groups believed to be responsible for the infamous November 2019 massacre. Nine members of an American Mormon family in northwestern Sonora were killed.
On July 9, 2021, authorities in Chihuahua arrested the alleged leader of the La Línea, alias "H7,” on charges of homicide and participation in organized crime. Following his arrest, armed men attacked the police station in the Carachí municipality.
More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/next-generation-criminal-groups-violence-mexico/