There are many criminal gangs in the world. They are divided according to territorial and ethnic principles, and sometimes they are international. One of the most dangerous and influential gangs on the planet is the Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa.
The largest and most dangerous criminal group in the world is the Sinaloa drug cartel. The cartel is based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and is involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and other types of criminal business. US intelligence agencies call the Sinaloa cartel "the most powerful drug cartel." In 2011, the Los Angeles Times called the Sinaloa "the world's most dangerous organized crime group."
Origin and activities of Sinaloa
The history of the origin of the cartel is closely connected with the personality of Pedro Perez - one of the first Mexican drug lords. In the mid 60s of the last century, he was involved in the smuggling of marijuana. It was he who came up with the idea of using airplanes to transport drugs to the United States and became the first leader of the cartel.
Sinaloa has criminal activities in 17 Mexican states, including the country's capital. According to some reports, its members managed to smuggle tens of tons of cocaine out of South America.
Sinaloa and the drug wars
There are several large drug cartels in Mexico. They are constantly at war with each other, trying to capture the most tidbits of business. The Sinaloa cartel has repeatedly waged drug wars with its competitors, the main one being the Tijuana cartel.
In 1992, Sinaloa gunmen at a disco club shot and killed eight Tijuana members. In 1993, a shootout between Tijuana and Sinaloa broke out right at Guadalajara airport, killing six civilians, including Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo.
In 2008, Sinaloa fighters again clashed with members of the Tijuana cartel. The battle was fought with machine guns. At the site of the battle, 17 killed militants remained. Six more were injured.
In the same 2008, the Mexican authorities arrested one of the leaders of the Sinaloa - Alfredo "El Mochomo". To avenge the boss' arrest, the gunmen killed several high-ranking officials in Mexico City.
In 2010, a shootout broke out in the Mazatlan prison between Sinaloa militants and members of the other powerful Setas cartel. The prisoners seized the guards' weapons and broke into the prison block, where the representatives of the hostile cartel were. The massacre killed 29 people.
A little later, the military found and killed in a shootout the leader of the Sinaloa - Ignacio Coronel. Two weeks later, the cartel fighters, dressed in police uniforms, captured and killed the mayor of the city of Santiago. Two weeks later, the same fate befell the mayor of the city of Hidalgo.
