Throughout 2025, Mexican authorities have delivered major blows to drug trafficking organizations, with millions of pounds of drugs and precursor chemicals seized, as well as dozens of arrests of high-ranking cartel members.
Those operations have reshaped the balance of power in Mexico's criminal landscape, with the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) positioning itself as the country's strongest criminal organization, as the internal war between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza has weakened the structure of what was once known as the Sinaloa cartel.
Although the Sinaloa cartel has splintered into rival factions, the group led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has forged alliances with the Jalisco cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," allowing the CJNG to expand into territories previously dominated by the Sinaloa cartel.
According to José Luis Montenegro, a journalist who specializes in organized crime, the alliance between Los Chapitos and the Jalisco cartel is real and based on mutual convenience.
While El Mencho's organization continues to expand into territories previously controlled by other criminal groups, Los Chapitos have secured protection in strategic plazas for the organization led by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán.
Montenegro adds that El Mencho has placed trusted figures, such as Audías Flores Silva, known as "El Jardinero," and Francisco Javier Gudiño Haro, known as "El Plumas" or "La Gallina," within the structure of Los Chapitos to consolidate the alliance and dominate key drug trafficking routes.
The journalist warns that this collaboration has facilitated the CJNG's expansion into markets once exclusive to Sinaloa, while Los Chapitos gain access to new plazas and protection in key regions.
Despite having forged a temporary alliance, drug trafficking experts at InSight Crime warn that such partnerships can be volatile and subject to rapid change, given the fragmented and constantly shifting nature of organized crime in the region.
They also note that while the CJNG and Los Chapitos appear to be cooperating in several areas, the ongoing turf wars between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza ultimately benefit the Jalisco cartel, which continues to expand across Mexico and has become the first cartel in the country's history to establish a presence in all 32 states, as reported earlier this year by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
An analysis conducted by InSight Crime in October found that the Chapitos-CJNG alliance appears limited to specific strategic areas and driven by short-term, practical arrangements, suggesting that both organizations continue to operate independently and have not fully merged their national operations.
The partnership between Los Chapitos and the CJNG reportedly gained momentum in late 2024 and solidified in 2025, following the downfall of several security chiefs loyal to Los Chapitos during their conflict with La Mayiza.
While most attention has focused on the Chapitos-CJNG alliance, the opposing faction in the conflict has also sought support from other criminal groups.
As The Latin Times reported earlier this year, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, the leader of La Mayiza, reportedly reached an agreement with an offshoot of the Los Zetas cartel known as Los Chukys.
Los Chukys, which has ties to the Northeast Cartel, is believed to have about 200 operatives, along with collaborators and other associates.
According to journalist Oscar Balderas, negotiations began in June and were aimed at strengthening the Sinaloa cartel faction's territorial control. He added that La Mayiza also has the support of the Guasave cartel and the Cabrera Sarabia family.
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