Mexico’s National Security Cabinet revealed the emergence of new drug trafficking organizations (DTO) that have formed after splintering from pre-existing cartels, groups that have taken root in the central and north of Mexico.
The government reports that these new organizations–Sangre Z, Golfo Nueva Generación, and La Corona–seem to have arisen in part from Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel, respectively, DTOs that, due to their size and scope, have given way to splinter groups. In all of these cases, the splintering followed the arrest or killing of key cartel operatives, as was central to the strategy of former President Calderón in confronting Mexican DTOs.
According to Justice in Mexico, sources from the Attorney General’s Office say that their investigations into the new groups indicate that these cartels are well organized and well equipped with fire arms. They are thought to be generating revenue through drug trafficking and by charging drug traffickers who pass through their routes on their way north to the U.S.. However, the PGR noted that unlike Los Zetas, the new groups do not seem involved in human trafficking nor in extortions.
Splintering within criminal organizations is not uncommon, especially among the groups from which government officials are reporting the new cartels have broken.
