What to Know About the Cartels Operating in Mexico

Other criminal groups in Mexico may try to take advantage of the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, who ran the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.Offerings of flowers, candles, photos and dollar bills at a shrine to Jesús Malverde — a “narco-saint,” in Culiacán, Sinaloa state, in 2024.Credit...Meridith Kohut for The New York TimesFeb. 24, 2026, 1:49 p.m. ETOn Sunday, the long hunt for Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — the elusive kingpin known as “El Mencho” — came to a violent end, leaving a leadership vacuum in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the possibility that another criminal group will try to take its place.Over the last decade, Mr. Oseguera turned the Jalisco New Generation Cartel — a splinter group that, around 2009, broke away from the Milenio Cartel, a branch of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel — into the most potent criminal syndicate in Mexico.He did this in part by forming “franchise” agreements with smaller gangs in areas outside his control, extending the reach of his power. But without Mr. Oseguera’s central authority, the groups that fueled his rise could fracture into warring factions, even as rival cartels move to seize the lucrative territories he has left behind.And under pressure from the Trump administration, the Mexican government may continue targeting top cartel leaders in its offensive against the country’s powerful criminal groups.Here’s a look at some of Mexico’s remaining cartels and criminal organizations and their leaders, all of which are considered foreign terrorist organizations in the United States.Jalisco New Generation CartelJulio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, known as El Chorro, is a senior Jalisco New Generation Cartel member and the son-in-law of Mr. Oseguera. He is viewed as a potential successor to the deceased chief, at least by American authorities. However, at least seven cartel members died in the violent operation on Sunday, the Mexican authorities said. Since then, the casualty count has risen to about 70 dead, including gang members and security forces. It may take some time for the cartel to regroup — Mr. Oseguera had four commanders, but it is not yet clear who in the leadership ranks has survived and may take his place.Mr. Oseguera’s son, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as El Menchito, helped lead the cartel but was extradited to the United States in 2020 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years last year.Rosalinda González Valencia, Mr. Oseguera’s widow and known as La Jefa, or the chief, was born into a criminal family and is an important financial operator in the cartel founded by her husband. But it is difficult for a woman to assume command of a criminal organization in Mexico, analysts say.Sinaloa CartelThe Sinaloa Cartel, based in the state of Sinaloa in northwest Mexico, was long considered one of the world’s most powerful drug gangs. American authorities say it is one of the largest producers and traffickers of drugs to the United States. But the gang has been weakened by the targeting of its leaders.The Sinaloa Cartel mass produces fentanyl and other illicit drugs. It formed a network of criminal cells and affiliates across dozens of countries that coordinated to traffic drugs and launder billions of dollars. Most of its profits come from drugs, but it also engages in human trafficking, migrant kidnapping, illegal logging and fuel theft, wielding power through violence and intimidation.ImageMexican army soldiers at a checkpoint outside a convenience store in Culiacán, Sinaloa state, in 2025.Credit...Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York TimesThe group splintered into two warring factions: the Chapitos, who remain loyal to the imprisoned founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and the Mayos, followers of his longtime partner, Ismael Zambada García, known as El Mayo.Mr. Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence in a high-security American prison.Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, pleaded guilty last year to federal charges connected to drug trafficking after abducting Mr. Zambada García in 2024 and turning him over to U.S. authorities.The betrayal deepened an already growing rift and ignited the conflict, turning Sinaloa state into a war zone.ImageNewspapers in El Paso, Texas, reporting the arrest of Ismael Zambada García, known as El Mayo, and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, in 2024.Credit...Gustavo Graf/ReutersOvidio Guzman Lopez, another son of El Chapo who took over his leadership, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in the United States last year. Now, two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, are considered the gang’s co-leaders.The “Chapitos” allied with the Jalisco group last year, turning the Jalisco New Generation Cartel into the world’s most powerful drug organization, American officials say.Ismael Zambada Sicairos, also known as El Mayito Flaco, a reference to his father’s nickname, is widely viewed as the leader of the Mayos faction.Cártel del NoresteCártel del Noreste, or Northeast Cartel, is the organization formerly known as The Zetas. It operates in northeastern Mexico and is involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and human smuggling. The gang has lost leaders in recent years. Miguel Ángel de Anda Ledezma is a top member, in charge of procuring guns and ammunition for the gang, according to the American authorities.Juan Gerardo Trevino-Chavez, the gang’s former leader, was arrested in the United States in 2022 and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in 2024. Ricardo González Sauceda was considered the second in command and was arrested in Mexico last February, then extradited to the United States last month.Last year, the State Department imposed sanctions on Mr. de Anda Ledezma and Mr. González Sauceda, calling them “high-ranking members” of the cartel and noting that the gang in 2022 “attacked the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo with gunfire and grenades” after the arrest of one of its members, likely in reference to the capture of Mr. Trevino-Chavez.La Nueva Familia MichoacánaJohnny Hurtado Olascoaga, along with his brother Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, leads La Nueva Familia Michoacána, or The New Michoacán Family, a successor gang to La Familia Michoacána. Based in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán, the gang distributes fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, including to the United States, according to the American authorities.ImageImages of Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and his brother, Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, during a Drug Enforcement Administration news conference in Atlanta last year.Credit...Brynn Anderson/Associated PressJohnny was born in the early 1970s and is associated with two different birth dates. He appears to be more than a decade older than Jose, 41, who is second in command.The brothers were indicted in 2024 on charges of conspiring to manufacture and distribute drugs. The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of each of them.Cártel de GolfoJose Alfredo Cardenas-Martinez, also known as El Contador, which means the accountant, is the head of Cártel de Golfo, a gang based in northeast Mexico involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and human smuggling. Mr. Cardenas-Martinez became the gang’s leader in 2015 after the arrest of the prior boss, his uncle, Oziel Cardenas-Guillen, on federal charges (since convicted and released).The accountant was indicted in the United States in 2021 on drug trafficking charges and was being held in Mexico for extradition, according to American immigration authorities in 2022. He was arrested in Mexico, among other things, in connection with a 2021 attack in Reynosa city that killed 15 people believed to have belonged to a rival criminal group, but was later released in November 2024 after a judge changed his pretrial detention status.Cárteles UnidosJuan José Farías Álvarez, also known as El Abuelo, meaning the grandfather, is the head of Cárteles Unidos, or United Cartels. It is an alliance of multiple cartels and other groups in Michoacán in west-central Mexico. Mr. Álvarez, 55, formed alliances among local criminal groups to combat the encroachment of other cartels, including Jalisco New Generation.The cartel produces and sells methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine, and is also accused of extorting local avocado farmers, illegally seizing land and deforesting and logging for its own farms in an effort to diversify revenue.In 2024, Mr. Álvarez was charged in the United States with federal drug conspiracy and weapons offenses in an indictment that was unsealed last year. The State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to Mr. Álvarez’s arrest, accusing him of murder and drug trafficking.Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.SKIP