The Tijuana Cartel, also known as the Arellano Félix Organization (AFO), was one of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. Founded by the Arellano Félix brothers, the cartel grew to be one of the key players in Mexico’s drug trade. At the height of its power,…
Benjamín Arellano Félix, born on March 12, 1952, in Sinaloa, Mexico, was the leader of the notorious Tijuana Cartel, one of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico during the 1980s and 1990s. Alongside his brothers, including Ramón and Eduardo, Benjamín built a criminal empire that operated mainly out of the border city…
Juan José Esparragoza Moreno, commonly known as El Azul (“The Blue One”), was a notorious and elusive figure in Mexico’s drug world. He rose to prominence as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the Mexican drug cartels, most notably within the Sinaloa Cartel. His long-standing career in the narcotics trade, spanning decades,…
Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, also known as Don Neto, is a pivotal figure in the history of Mexican drug cartels and one of the original leaders of the notorious Guadalajara Cartel. Born on August 1, 1930, in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, Fonseca Carrillo played a key role in shaping the drug trade in Mexico during the 1970s and…
Rafael Caro Quintero is a notorious Mexican drug lord, often referred to as one of the founding members of the Guadalajara Cartel, a powerful drug trafficking organization that flourished in the 1970s and 1980s. Born on October 24, 1952, in La Noria, Sinaloa, Caro Quintero quickly rose through the ranks of the drug trade, alongside…
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán , the former leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers, has been incarcerated in the United States since 2019. After a dramatic legal saga that saw him repeatedly elude Mexican authorities, El Chapo was finally sentenced to life in prison in July 2019. He was found…
Luigi Mancuso: The Main Leader of the ‘Ndrangheta Luigi Mancuso is one of the most notorious and powerful mafia bosses in Italian organized crime and is considered the head of the notorious ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, one of the most dangerous and influential criminal organizations in the world. Mancuso is at the heart of the ‘Ndrangheta’s activities and is…
The ‘Ndrangheta: One of the Most Dangerous Mafia Organizations in the World The ‘Ndrangheta is one of the most powerful and influential mafia organizations in the world, originating from Calabria, in the south of Italy. Originally active locally, this criminal organization now has a global influence. They have a strong grip on the European cocaine market and…
In 2024 hebben maffiaorganisaties wereldwijd grote veranderingen doorgemaakt. De Italiaanse autoriteiten hebben belangrijke successen geboekt tegen de ‘Ndrangheta met de arrestatie van kopstukken zoals Pasquale Bonavota. In New York blijven de Five Families actief in traditionele misdaad zoals drugshandel en afpersing, ondanks recente arrestaties. In Canada woedt een bloedige machtsstrijd binnen de maffia in Montreal, vooral rond de Rizzuto-familie. Internationaal heeft de arrestatie van Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, leider van het Sinaloa-kartel, een belangrijke impact op de Mexicaanse drugshandel. Daarnaast is cybercriminaliteit een opkomend terrein voor de maffia, wat nieuwe uitdagingen oplevert voor de autoriteiten
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo: The Rise and Fall of the ‘Godfather’ of the Mexican Guadalajara Cartel Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a name deeply entwined with the history of the Mexican drug cartels. Known as “El Padrino” (The Godfather), he was the founder of what would become the first large-scale Mexican Guadalajara Cartel. Félix Gallardo’s…