The leader of the Gulf Cartel, deported to Mexico from the United States, reshaped the country’s criminal dynamics with the creation of Los Zetas and transformed the northeastern border into one of the most critical hubs of the criminal economy
The battle between Los Chapitos and the faction loyal to ‘El Mayo’ Zambada is staining the cartel’s old sanctuary with blood. Corpses pile up in the streets and social life has been reduced to a minimum. EL PAÍS traveled through Culiacán and its surroundings, where burned-out houses and businesses, as well as shootings and roadblocks, are part of the daily landscape
Peruvian anthropologist Luis Millones and Mexican archeologist Eduardo Matos speak with EL PAÍS and reflect on their new book, which deals with the figures of Moctezuma and Atahualpa, the last great pre-Columbian rulers
In his new book, the Mexican journalist recounts the 2021 meeting he had with the old boss of the Sinaloa Cartel. This is only the drug lord’s second interview with a journalist that has been made public. EL PAÍS published an exclusive preview
The cartel war in Sinaloa highlights the fact that there are dozens of criminal hotspots throughout the country, one of the great failures of the López Obrador administration
Authorities found the bodies of Martin and Leobardo Garcia Corrales on Saturday in Sinaloa. The United States had charged both with fentanyl trafficking and possession of automatic weapons
El Chapo’s brother and their former partner, El Mayo Zambada, are about to turn 80. Age, ailments and pressure from the authorities are fueling uncertainty about the future of the criminal organization
Authorities confirm the discovery of the bodies in an area hard hit by criminal groups seeking control of immigration, drug and weapons routes
Municipalities in the so-called ‘banana corridor’ are electing dozens of local and federal representatives in June. Booming economies, criminal gangs, old civil defense groups and hundreds of victims are intertwined with the vote
EL PAÍS travels along the border of the poorest state in Mexico, a region dominated by criminal groups. From the city of Tapachula to the Lacandon Jungle, passing through the towns of Frontera Comalapa and Chisomuselo, this story illustrates the fight between cartels, the abandonment of the state, the murders, forced displacements, kidnappings and extortions, along with the efforts made by the local and migrant populations to survive
The authorities said the detained capo was ‘one of the main generators of violence’ in the Mexican capital and suggested La Unión Tepito has imploded after the capture of several leaders
Political parties and social organizations are in talks to form an interim body to stop the criminal gangs, but some experts are concerned that it will favor the very people who caused the security crisis
Since 2022, officers and criminals have been fighting an all-out battle in one of Guanajuato’s most important cities. In the last year, 22 agents have been killed. EL PAÍS accompanies a team on their patrol
Pressure is mounting as many Haitians demand the departure of the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who recently announced elections for August 2025
Former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, leader of a fluid federation of criminal groups in the capital, Port-au-Prince, has challenged the government amid the prevailing chaos
The truces between criminal organizations in the state of Guerrero appear linked to the Catholic hierarchy, which is willing to mediate in order to stop the wave of violence
The clergy has been attempting to settle differences between La Familia Michoacana and rivals Los Tlacos after a successful truce between the latter and Los Ardillos over transport routes
Prosecutors in Chiapas maintain all is well, but residents have reported 20 murders by rival criminal gangs
President López Obrador acknowledges that the 32 captive migrants were released and not rescued. This is not the first time the criminal group has freed kidnap victims after pressure from authorities
Consuelo Loera López has died in a Cualiacán hospital, according to local media reports. She was 94 years old
Investigative journalist Carmen Aristegui also appeared in court to testify about being targeted by the powerful spyware
Criminal gang battles ravage the capital and central regions while a United Nations mission led by Kenya gears up
The list of burials illuminates one of the favorite tactics of criminals in these times of war against drug trafficking and organized crime: ‘disappearing’ people
The text, to which EL PAÍS has had access, suggests several locations near Iguala as the possible destination of the disappeared student-teachers. The report also includes screenshots of chats that had been dismissed as unverifiable
On the ninth anniversary of the attack, the families are determined to gain access to dozens of Army documents which, they claim, contain information about the boys’ fate. President Andres Manuel López Obrador claims that those papers do not exist
The Prosecutor’s Office has asked for a total of 969 years in prison for 11 police officers involved in the migrant massacre. For the repentant officer – who has been key to building the case – prosecutors are asking that he receive a reduced sentence of 19 years
More cocaine moves through Ecuador than any other country in the world, meaning cartels like Sinaloa and the CJNG need local criminal organizations to handle transport and logistics
