Drug cartels

Puerto Rico's fatal overdoses tied to fentanyl outpace homicides, Costa Rica probes suspected pill labs after large tablet seizures, and the Dominican Republic surfaces in U.S. financial intelligence and indictments. The U.S. has escalated military and law-enforcement activity in nearby Caribbean waters, while Washington officials increasingly blame Venezuela's Maduro for enabling regional criminal networks.

More than a decade after 43 students disappeared in the Ayotzinapa case, Mexican officials are seeking the extradition of two suspects from the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "El Chelelo" was responsible for smuggling more than 3,000 tons of drugs into southern Texas over a span of four years.

Hossein Nabor Guillén was accused in 2024 of aiding Los Ardillos after a video showed him embracing the group's alleged leader, Celso Ortega Jiménez.

Staff members interviewed by Mexican outlets said the attackers subdued five workers at the rehabilitation center and killed three of them.

Influencers tied to cartels are now targets, pressured to back factions in Sinaloa's internal war and used as mouthpieces in the conflict.

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said she will seek the extradition of cartel leaders currently imprisoned in the U.S., framing the pursuit as a "sovereign decision for the safety and peace of our country"

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum again rejected a U.S. intervention in its territory, saying that such a move is "not necessary."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is reportedly "exasperated" with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over what she and her cabinet see as unrelenting demands from him and his administration

The alleged CJNG plaza boss in Uruapan was identified as René Belmonte Aguilar, also known as "El Rhino," who allegedly operates in the eastern part of the state and is wanted for extortion, kidnapping and homicide.

A high-ranking member of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and a direct relative of the group's leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," has been arrested in Mexico.

Érick Valencia Salazar is seeking to plead guilty in the U.S. in hopes of negotiating a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid a full trial.

President Donald Trump reportedly approved a directive on Aug. 8 authorizing the use of U.S. military force against Latin American drug cartels, which his administration has labeled as foreign terrorist organizations.

More than 30 organizations are urging U.S. lawmakers to reject Trump's plan against Latin American cartels, arguing it would put civilians at risk and destabilize diplomatic ties in the region

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and longtime associate of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, is expected to plead guilty to charges in New York next week.

Camilo Ochoa Delgado recently criticized the government's lack of action against threats made to him: "until something happens to someone within the authorities who protect them, they are not going to pay attention"

With fewer migrants reaching the U.S., criminal groups have lost a key source of income, as they previously made millions annually from smuggling, extortion, and kidnapping.

According to a new report from CrashOut, sources within La Mayiza said they are confident they will achieve victory against Los Chapitos by the end of the year.

According to an expert on organized crime in Mexico, at least seven or eight cartel operatives extradited this week are considered major players who could provide key information to U.S. prosecutors

U.S. authorities targeted the group known as Cárteles Unidos, or United Cartels, with economic sanctions and have charged five high-ranking members of the organization.

The United States has begun deploying air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea to counter what officials describe as threats from Latin American drug cartels

Mexico sent 26 people accused of being cartel operatives to the U.S. amid increasing pressure from Washington. Experts say they may not be the last ones.

The FBI says the Jalisco cartel began operating in the timeshare industry in 2012, running call centers in Mexico where employees impersonated U.S. brokers, attorneys and sales representatives to defraud property owners.

The Mexican government extradited on Tuesday 26 alleged cartel operatives to the United States — the second mass transfer this year, following the extradition of 29 cartel members in February.

Local law enforcement agencies along the U.S.-Mexico border are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence-powered drones to track drug traffickers and migrants, while Mexican cartels are flying their own drones into U.S. territory

U.S. intelligence agencies are reviewing reports that Senate credentials were granted to leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, who were listed as "advisers" allegedly linked to the Labor Party (PT).

A new report suggests that criminal organizations have evolved their synthetic drug production methods and shifted away from stationary "narco labs" to smaller, more mobile facilities

Mexican authorities in the northern state of Tamaulipas have arrested a suspect related to the murder of Ernesto Cuitláhuac Vázquez Reyna, a federal prosecutor who was killed on Aug. 4.

Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration had been informed about the executive order, but emphasized that "it had nothing to do with the participation of any military forces in Mexico."

The FBI has instructed local law enforcement agencies to submit names of individuals tied to certain drug cartels and gangs for potential inclusion on the U.S. government's terrorist watch list