Cartels-1 Names and Attributes

IN THIS SECTION     Cartels-1 (here-see more below*)     Cartels-2 FARC      Cartels-3 How to Stop     Cartels-4 Female Gang Members/Traffickers     Cartels-5  Tunnels and Smuggling      Cartels-6  Books      Cartels-7 Links List  see also Cartels-New Mexico Notice:  As mentioned elsewhere, Police Factor is not an expert on police, gangs or cartels *Cartels/Gangs-General-1a (here) • Start Here:  o What is a Gang?   o Why People Can Be in a Gang     o Getting Out, Staying Out  • Articles  • Links List - Cartels-7 Links List   • Groups By Name o La Familia  o Zetas o Sinaloa  o Juarez o Jalisco     o La Santa Muerte     o MS-13    o New Mexican Gang of Arizona              • Cultural Contexts Behind Cartels:   Occult      Religion     Systems Approach    • Other:   o Department of Justice-Organized Crime Cases  o The Puerto Rico connection in Alaska o Smuggling Tunnels See also:   Cybercrime    Retail Organized Crime     Search and Seizure     New Mexico Drugs   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     START HERE  This section is not in any way meant to be comprehensive, but covers a few key topics. What is a gang? Gangs and Cartels can be entirely different things, but they can also interconnect.  Gangs are usually thought of as smaller, more localized entities, or if larger, something with a name, like Bloods.  If larger and more spread out, the name can represent a leader, a racial faction or a type of belief system, approach or orientation, and can also represent a region the group considers theirs.  Some gangs have been around a long time, others are newer and ephemeral.  Many upstart gangs come and go.   Some gangs started out as a counter-movements to governments.  One country’s gang might another group’s revolution to fight oppression.  Gangs can be neighborhood cliques that come together to fight other gangs or to protect their property and families from violence.  There can be ethnic reasoning and motives, like minorities against the USA.  The more violent gangs often have initiations through violence.; people might have to suffer through an ordeal of group-based beatings or prove themselves loyal through thefts or even murder.   Once in, people might have a hard time getting out, as gang members might threaten them or someone they care about.  There can be mind control and intimidation through retaliation.   What happens is that whether it is a gang or cartel, the United States has small to larger tyrants running around, some the local bully, others like complex shadow governments. Cartels are generally thought of as larger and with various high crime tendencies; they can be more systemic, networked and organized.  Gangs as smaller or more distinct entities might interconnect with large organized cartels; groups might have started out as gangs and shifted to big player cartels.  It is likely what some refer to as gangs are in fact organized crime structures, and thus could also be called cartels.  Gangs that started in one area might grow and spread to other areas, but still retain certain criminal tendencies, while others might expand into mafia-like antics.  No two detectives or state police departments might think of these groups quite the same way. National Institute of Justice 2011/10/27   Gang Definitions https //nij ojp gov/topics/articles/what-gang-definitions There is no universally agreed-upon definition of "gang" in the United States. Gang, youth gang and street gang are terms widely and often interchangeably used in mainstream coverage. Reference to gangs often implies youth gangs. In some cases, youth gangs are distinguished from other types of gangs; how youth is defined may vary as well.  Motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, hate groups, adult organized crime groups, terrorist organizations and other types of security threat groups are frequently but not always treated separately from gangs in both practice and research https //nij ojp gov/topics/articles/what-gang-definitions Why people can be in a gang Think it is cool A sense of power Would-be gang - kind of an image thing without really doing it all the way, wear a few icons, wear clothes a certain way, have a certain attitude Born into it Influenced by people in one’s life Forced into it, like kidnapping and abuse, mind control Intimidation, crime network surround (they’re everywhere) It’s a fight world, everybody’s fighting, feel like a person has to get in a group to have some protection against the other gangs Culture, people are in gangs in this culture Getting Out, Staying Out What are some things maybe tempting me to go back in?   --domination/submission issues: intimidation, harassment, stalking, threats to kill me or someone I care about   --maybe loneliness: I miss my guy, my girl friend, my culture, my family, etc.       --maybe adrenaline rushes       --drugs       --I feel alienated by the witness protection protection culture (or something like that)    CULTURAL CONTEXTS BEHIND CARTELS Approaches to study and respond to them most effectively Occult and Gangs Police Mag dot com 2008/03 Criminal gangs and the occult http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2008/03/criminal-gangs-and-the-occult.aspx Religion and Gangs Hispanic, Latino and Mexican Catholic Vice 2016/02/23   A Brief History of the Relationship Between Mexican Drug Cartels and the Catholic Church:  Pope Francis used a recent visit to urge Mexicans to steer clear of the temptations of drugs and illicit cash, but when it comes to local cartels, the Catholic Church has its own questionable history to contend with.  By Brian McManus https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wd79db/a-brief-history-of-the-relationship-between-mexican-drug-cartels- and-the-catholic-church Excerpt:  Since Posadas's death, and in particular over the past decade or so, the church has exercised top-down dealings with the cartels—condemning them in public, but, critics charge, colluding with drug criminals on the ground. Pope Francis spoke to that fraught dynamic during his historic visit to Mexico last week. In a sermon in the Michoacán state capital Morelia, which has been hit hard by cartel violence, he cautioned bishops, priests, nuns, and seminarians against shirking away from the unique challenge posed by the cartels in their area.  "What is the temptation that we face in environments dominated by violence, corruption, drug trafficking, disrespect for personal dignity, and indifference to suffering?" he asked, before answering his own question. "Resignation. Resignation terrifies us and makes us barricade ourselves in our vestries."  That alleged resignation has long plagued the Catholic Church in Mexico, and though they weren't named directly by Francis, no discussion of the cartel-church relationship would be complete without mention of "narco alms"—or blood money supposedly offered by cartels to help fund public works and other church activities. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wd79db/a-brief-history-of-the-relationship-between-mexican-drug-cartels- and-the-catholic-church LA Times 1999/05/08 Gangs and Their God. Margaret Ramirez http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/08/local/me-35168 Many Latino gang members invoke the protection of Jesus or Mary in the form of tattoos and graffiti. Some observers say the practice is a genuine attempt to connect with a spiritual heritage. Department of Justice - Criminal Division - Organized Crime and Gang Section - Cases https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ocgs/ocgs-press-room/2017 Systems Approach: Mexico - Cartels Mexico’s Cartel Problem: A Systems Thinking Perspective Sibel McGee, Ph.D., Michael Joel, Robert Edson Applied Systems Thinking Institute, Analytic Services, Inc.,  2900 S Quincy Street, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22206 Sibel.McGee@anser.org; Michael.Joel@anser.org; Robert.Edson@anser.or We argue that the efforts that rely purely on law enforcement measures will fail to produce lasting change unless they are coupled with high leverage strategies that address the root causes of illicit activities in Mexico. Biography : Sibel McGee, Ph.D. is a Senior Analyst at the Applied Systems Thinking (ASysT) Institute of Analytic Services Inc., Arlington, VA, providing systems and research analysis for various federal departments and agencies to include Department of Homeland Security and Defense. She is also an adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland University College. Dr. McGee holds an MS in International Relations from Middle East Technical University, Turkey, an MA in European Studies from University of Bonn, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Texas A&M University.  Michael Joel is currently an analyst with the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, Quantico, VA.  Mr. Joel was previously a Senior Associate Analyst at the Applied Systems Thinking (ASysT) Institute of Analytic Services Inc., Arlington, VA.  He holds a BA in History and an MA in Public Policy/National Security Policy from George Mason University. Robert Edson is Vice President for Enterprise Development at Analytic Services Inc., and Director of the Applied Systems Thinking Institute (ASysT). In his role as Director of ASysT, he leads an institute whose mission is to advance the application of systems thinking principles in the fields of national security and homeland security. He has over 25 years of experience in dealing with complex systems issues and systems thinking. Mr. Edson is an Adjunct Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and has a BS in Biology from George Mason University and a MS in Physical Oceanography and Meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School.  GROUPS BY NAME  - Names and Attributes of a Select Few (not a comprehensive list) Jalisco The Daily Beast 2016/03/26 Fighting Mexico’s new super cartel http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/26/fighting-mexico-s-new-super-cartel.html La Sante Muerte Huffington Post 7 things to know about La Santa Muerte http://www.huffingtonpost.com/latina-magazine/7-things-to-know-about-la_b_8385476.html MS-13 Gangs MSN 13 officials detail best ways to combat the violent gang http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/fighting-ms-13-officials-detail-best-ways-to-combat-the-violent- gang/ar-AApjepI?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp New Mexican Mafia of Arizona (Not to be confused with the state of New Mexico in the name; but also see another type of prison gang - SNM of New Mexico) Corrections dot az https://corrections.az.gov/new-mexican-mafia-0 Sinaloa Business Insider 2012 Fast and Furious Guns Sinaloa Cartel http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-and-furious-guns-sinaloa-cartel-2012-8 Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ismael-el-mayo-zambada-sinaloa_us_56a0becce4b0404eb8f05313 Consider Reading: -Insight Crime, insightcrime.org   Latin American cartels, some American material- -Robert J. Bunker (also seen in No to Sacrifices in Human Issues section on this website) expert on terrorism and cult behavior in cartels -Sylvia Longmire:  Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars (2011) -Ioan Grillo The Bloody Rise of Mexican Drug Cartels (2017) -George W. Grayson - The Los Zetas Drug Cartel - Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare in Mexico and Central America (2015) -Police Mag article on Criminal Gangs and the Occult:  http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2008/03/criminal-gangs-and-the-occult.aspx Retail Org. Crime Alb Jrnl: (2017) Retailers face new threat: Organized crime. BY LORRAINE MIRABELLA / THE BALTIMORE SUN https://www.abqjournal.com/1086991/retailers-face-new-threat-organized-crime.html Organized theft has surpassed internal theft to become the leading cause of retail loss, said Robert Moraca, vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation. Analysts say the increase has been fueled by the opioid epidemic and by the growing understanding among criminals that theft can be quick, easy and profitable. In a well choreographed assault, Moraca says, thieves can clear shelves of thousands of dollars’ worth of goods in minutes. “And that’s happening in multiples,” he says. “It’s not just a group that gets together and wants to steal. These are groups that already exist for criminal purposes,” such as drug trafficking and human trafficking. “These are hardened criminals, and they get into organized retail crime because it’s extremely profitable.”… “The individuals who are doing the shoplifting have become extremely dangerous, much more than anyone would think of a petty shoplifter doing,” spokesman Stephen Holmes says. He says assaults on security guards and asset protection personnel have become common. “It can be the slightest thing that triggers that act of violence,” he says. “I just don’t think the average person realizes what’s going on.” https://www.abqjournal.com/1086991/retailers-face-new-threat-organized-crime.html Juárez Cartel ABC 15 dot com 2019/11/06 Map cartel influences across the US and Mexico. By Courtland Jeffrey https://www.abc15.com/news/data/map-cartel-influences-presence-across-the -united-states-and-mexico Officials are investigating activity tied to the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels, which are both active in the area where the Monday attack occurred, just 90 miles south of Douglas, Ariz. The killers were reportedly believed to be from the Juarez cartel's armed wing, "La Linea."  According to federal data, both the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels have active presences in the U.S. and parts of Mexico. Recent data obtained from the DEA and Stratfor Global Intelligence and the Federation of American Scientists shows the Sinaloa cartel with a dominant regional presence in nearly every U.S. state, including Arizona.  The Juarez cartel is dominant in New Mexico, while Texas has presences from the Sinaloa, Gulf, and Juarez cartels. https://www.abc15.com/news/data/map-cartel-influences-presence-across-the -united-states-and-mexico Aztecas El Paso Times 2018/08/22  Juarez violence fears New Mexico cartel war coming murders increase https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2018/08/22/juarez-violence-fears-new-mexico-cartel-war- coming-murders-increase/1060840002/ Excerpt:  Howard Campbell, an anthropology professor at the University of Texas at El Paso whose research focuses on the U.S-Mexico border, sees the current wave as unique because most of the violence is concentrated in downtown Ciudad Juárez.  “What’s different about this is it’s just over and over and over again that people are getting murdered in these areas where the Aztecas live, which is right in the heart of the downtown area,” he said. “So a lot of these killings have been in broad daylight.”  The Barrio Aztecas in Juárez are affiliated with Aztecas in El Paso, but Campbell said the Juárez Aztecas operate independently. And while the organization was once aligned with the Juárez Cartel, it has since split and is fighting to keep a foothold in the city.  Campbell said the end could come when one gang ousts the other, but what he seesas perplexing in this situation is that it's the hometown gang that's being squeezed out.  Fight for methamphetamine market:  There is the added element of the prevalence of methamphetamine dealers trying to find a niche in the Juárez market. While cocaine, pot and heroin have historically been the illicit goods of choice for street peddlers, methamphetamine has been making its way into the traditional markets largely because of the increased presence of another major cartel: the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.  “[The Aztecas] see meth as a threat to their business, and it’s only recently that meth has made an appearance in Juárez,” Campbell said. “The influx of meth and the people that sell it are contributing to this conflict. And the Jalisco people are the biggest meth producers and meth controllers, so they have a lot to do with this.” https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2018/08/22/juarez-violence-fears-new-mexico-cartel-war- coming-murders-increase/1060840002/ New York Post 2019/05/05  Cartels thrive in New Mexico county after feds shut down checkpoints https://nypost.com/2019/05/05/cartels-thrive-in-new-mexico-county-after-feds-shut-down-checkpoints/ Excerpt:  Otero County, NM, Board of Commissioners chair Couy Griffin fears terrorists will exploit shuttered checkpoints 90 miles from the border. “It’s a green light for the cartels when border checkpoints are down,” Otero County Sheriff David Black, 56, told The Post.  “Are cartels capitalizing on the confusion at the border? Yes, they are!” Williamson told The Post. “They are using it as a cover to move drugs, which are coming through legal ports of entry. If your drugs are coming through legal ports of entry, you need lines of defense.”Williamson said his team recently seized 44 pounds of fentanyl — “enough to wipe out all of New Mexico, Texas and the entire state of Chihuahua.”  Most of the drugs are being trafficked by a gang known as Barrio Aztecas, the enforcement arm of the Juarez Cartel, according to the agent.  “They are an incredibly violent gang,” he said, adding that they number between 2,000 and 2,200 members.  An additional 500 to 1,000 Barrio Aztecas are in prison, he said.  For Couy Griffin, chairman of Otero County’s Board of Commissioners, who spearheaded the move to declare a state of emergency last month, the situation is dire. In addition to drug traffickers and migrants, Griffin fears that terrorists may begin taking advantage of the abandoned checkpoints to sneak into the rest of the country. https://nypost.com/2019/05/05/cartels-thrive-in-new-mexico-county-after-feds-shut-down-checkpoints/ La Linea Fox News 2019/11/06   Mexican cartel massacre: Grisly crime scene photos show blood-stained car seat, bullet-ridden windshield.  By Stephen Sorace.  Linea likely part of Juarez that killed mother and four children, including burning https://www.foxnews.com/world/mexican-cartel-massacre-car-seat-bullets-windshield-crime-scene The killers were apparently members of the Juarez drug cartel and its armed wing, La Linea — "The Line" — whose gunmen had entered Sinaloa cartel territory and set up an armed outpost on a hilltop and an ambush further up the road, The Associated Press reported. https://www.foxnews.com/world/mexican-cartel-massacre-car-seat-bullets-windshield-crime-scene Insight Crime 2010 Juárez Cartel https://www.insightcrime.org/mexico-organized-crime-news/juarez-cartel-profile/ Excerpt:  he Juárez Cartel is responsible for smuggling tons of narcotics from Mexico into the United States throughout its long and turbulent history, and the group’s intense rivalry with the Sinaloa Cartel helped turn Juarez into one of the most violent places in the world.  History:  The Juárez Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico. Since its beginnings, the cartel has focused on drug trafficking, but has expanded into other criminal activities such as human trafficking, kidnapping, local drug distribution and extortion. Based in the city of Juárez in the state of Chihuahua, northern Mexico, the Juárez Cartel is also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization (VCFO), after its leader. https://www.insightcrime.org/mexico-organized-crime-news/juarez-cartel-profile/ Zetas Comment: although Insight Crime suggests the Zetas are in decline, we need to learn from some of their elite armed forces background and other approaches and strategies in terms of looking for signs that other cartels are using these things as well.  Also Insight Crime and others inform us that the Zetas have had widespread influence in neighboring countries along with the Sinaloas.  As such, it is possible there has been a cultural influence along Zeta lines even if the main thrust of the organization if largely over. Gijn.org gijn.org/for-zetas-guatemala-is-the-new-mexico/ Excerpt: For Zetas, Guatemala is the New Mexico.  Just as in Mexico they have taken over a large portion of territory, having conquered to date 75 percent of all Guatemalan trafficking routes, according to an estimate by the DEA’s Mexico office. Every year, they move 250 to 300 tons of cocaine along those routes. gijn.org/for-zetas-guatemala-is-the-new-mexico/ Insight Crime: Zetas https://www.insightcrime.org/mexico-organized-crime-news/zetas-profile/ Excerpt:  Beginning as a group of deserters from an elite unit of the armed forces at the service of the Gulf Cartel, the Zetas would go on to become one of the most powerful and feared cartels in Mexico before infighting and the loss of leaders started the organization’s decline. The Zetas started out as an enforcer gang for the Gulf Cartel predominantly made up of former soldiers with specialized training. Their military background and unbridled ferocity proved an underworld game changer, with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describing them as perhaps “the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and violent of these paramilitary enforcement groups.” The Zetas broke away from the Gulf Cartel in the mid-2000s to become its own group, and launched an offensive that would see them expand throughout Mexico and Guatemala. The group employed a new model of organized crime, based on violently seizing and holding territory, using fear rather than corruption as a first resort. However, after rising to the point where they could compete with the mighty Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas are now a fragmented force, held together by little more than a name and increasingly dependent on local criminal revenues rather than the transnational flow of … La Familia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Familia_Michoacana Excerpt: La Familia Michoacana, (English: The Michoacán Family) La Familia (English: The Family), or LFM is a Mexican drug cartel and a organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Formerly allied to the Gulf Cartel—as part of Los Zetas —it split off in 2006. The cartel was founded by Carlos Rosales Mendoza a close associate of Osiel Cárdenas. https://mexicandrugcartels.wikia.org/wiki/La_Familia_Michoacana_Cartel Excerpt: La Familia Michoacana Cartel La Familia Michoacana Logo La Familia Michoacana, (English: The Michoacán Family) La Familia (English: The Family), or LFM was a Mexican drug cartel and an organized crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Formerly allied to The Gulf Cartel as part of The Los Zetas Organization it split off on 2006. The cartel's first leader, Nazario Moreno González, known as El Más Loco (English: The Craziest One), preached his organization's divine right to eliminate enemies. He carried a "bible" of his own sayings and insisted that his army of traffickers and hitmen avoid using the narcotics they sell. Nazario Moreno's partners were José de Jesús Méndez Vargas, Servando Gómez Martínez and Enrique Plancarte Solís, each of whom has a bounty of $2 million for his capture, and were contesting the control of the organization https://mexicandrugcartels.wikia.org/wiki/La_Familia_Michoacana_Cartel ARTICLES - List from everything on this page (being developed) Cartels by Media/News Publication Source A, B, C Borderland Beat:  Cartel Violence, Cash Infiltrating U.S. (05/2011) http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2011/05/cartel-violence-cash-infiltrating-us.html Business Insider: Fast and Furious Guns Sinaloa Cartel (2012) Tag-Sinaloa http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-and-furious-guns-sinaloa-cartel-2012-8 University of Chicago: Irving Spergel Leading Scholar Gangs 1924-2010. By William Harms (12/08/2010) https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2010/12/08/irving-spergel-leading-scholar-gangs-1924-2010 CNN:   On the border: Guns, drugs -- and a betrayal of trust.  Cartels Columbus, New Mexico By Michael Martinez.  (06/102012) Tag Columbus, New Mexico http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/10/us/cartels-columbus-new-mexico/ Whitey Bulger six surprising facts (09/17/2014) http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/justice/whitey-bulger-six-things/index.html CNS News: Effort Combat Drug Cartels Operating New Mexico Spurs Racial Profiling Complaints. By Susan Jones (07/12/2012) http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/effort-combat-drug-cartels-operating-new-mexico-spurs-racial-profiling- complaints D, E, F The Daily Beast: Jeremy Kryt http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/jeremy-kryt Fighting Mexico’s New Super Cartel. By Jeremy Kryt (03/26/2016) The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known for its hyper-aggressive, paramilitary tactics—now it’s bringing the terror to America’s doorstep. http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/jeremy-kryt http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/26/fighting-mexico-s-new-super-cartel.html Cartel Watch - Why the Military Will Never Beat Mexico's Cartels. By Jeremy Kryt (04/02/2016) As the murder rate in Mexico rises yet again, it’s time to admit current policies aren’t working—and start looking for new solutions. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/02/will-mexico-s-surreal-drug-war-ever-end DEA dot gov: Synthetic Drugs Excerpt:  (2012) more than five million packets of finished designer synthetic drugs were seized across the country in the first-ever nationwide law enforcement action against the synthetic designer drug industry responsible for the production and sale of synthetic drugs that are often marketed as bath salts, Spice, incense, or plant food https://www.dea.gov/divisions/elp/2012/elpaso073012p.html FBI: Organized Crime: History of La Cosa Nostra https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/organized-crime/history-of-la-cosa-nostra G-K Huffington Post: 7 Things to Know About La Santa Muerte.  By Latina Magazine (10/26/2015 05:30 pm ET | Updated Oct 25, 2016) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/latina-magazine/7-things-to-know-about-la_b_8385476.html Meet The Man Who Runs The Sinaloa Cartel... With Or Without ‘El Chapo’; Unlike “El Chapo,” Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada hasn’t spent years in prison. By Roque Planas (01/21/2016) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ismael-el-mayo-zambada-sinaloa_us_56a0becce4b0404eb8f05313 Insight Crime: Corrupt Mexico police concentrated in ten [Mexican] states http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/corrupt-mexico-police-concentrated-in-ten-states KTVA: (2019/07/11) How Alaska residents help the Sinaloa cartel smuggle drugs north https://www.ktva.com/story/40768037/how-alaska-residents-help-the-sinaloa-cartel-smuggle-drugs-north Excerpt: She was stopped at a border patrol checkpoint north of Nogales, where she was found to have 200 grams of cocaine on her person. The woman is identified as "Female Individual 2" in a federal court document that was sealed on Tuesday, after being accessible to the public for months. The document is a warrant filed by a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent investigating the trafficking of drugs to Alaska. Female Individual 2 was carrying roughly $20,000 worth of cocaine, according to a street value estimate from the Anchorage Police Department.She represents a small piece of a puzzle that is largely kept secret: The inner workings of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) based in Sonora, Mexico. L, M, N Judith Miller: Mexicanization American Law Enforcement http://www.judithmiller.com/6482/mexicanization-american-law-enforcement LA Times: ATF Fast Furious http://www.latimes.com/nation/atf-fast-furious-sg-storygallery.html ATF Guns http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-atf-guns-20111009-story.html#axzz2qP3R9IU4 U.S. warns citizens about traveling to Mexico's Cancun and Los Cabos as violence surges. By Kate Linthicum (08/22/2017) http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-cancun-warning-20170822-story.html LAPD authors: Dunn http://www.lapdauthors.com/dunn.html MSN: Fighting MS 13 Officials Detail Best Ways to Combat the Violent Gang. By Kaitlyn Schallhorn (08/02/2017) http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/fighting-ms-13-officials-detail-best-ways-to-combat-the-violent-gang/ar- AApjepI?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp National Review: Fast Furious = Obamas First Scandal. By Ian Tuttle (01/21/2016) http://www.nationalreview.com/article/430153/fast-furious-obamas-first-scandal NPR: Prison gang reach increasingly extends into streets (2013) http://www.npr.org/2013/04/02/176035798/experts-prison-gang-reach-increasingly-extends-into-streets O, P, Q, R Police Mag:Criminal Gangs and the Occult http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2008/03/criminal-gangs-and-the-occult.aspx Of all the criminal groups that I have worked over the more than three decades in law enforcement, the most credible attempts on my life have come from these occult true believers.Be aware of these trends and beliefs. Gang members who take the occult seriously can be truly dangerous. http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2008/03/criminal-gangs-and-the-occult.aspx Rolling Stones 2018/04/18  Mexican drug lords have transformed the narcotics trade in America — and the DEA appears powerless to stop them.  By Guy Lawson This article appeared in the September 17, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-the-cartels-work-245912/ The current crop of Mexican drug lords is not a bunch of Scarface-style lunatics high on coke and hellbent on violence. Instead, they are highly sophisticated executives, pursuing profit by the cheapest and most efficient means possible.Torturing rivals and beheading victims serves a purpose in Mexico, where drug-related violence has killed 12,000 people in the past three years; narcotraficantes routinely use brutality to subdue competitors, eliminate witnesses and frighten off police recruits. But north of the border, the drug lords are as corporate and hyperorganized as Walmart, replacing the top-down approach of their Colombian predecessors with a new business model — one that outsources the street-level grunt work to an army of illegal immigrants. With business booming — prices are steady and demand remains high — unleashing a Mexican-style rampage in this country would only risk riling up U.S. law enforcement. The Mexican cartels aren’t fighting the War on Drugs in the United States for a very simple reason: They’ve already won. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-the-cartels-work-245912/ S, T, U Slate: “A Unique Death Cult” How the Romanian Iron Guard blended nationalistic violence with Christian martyrdom to spread a  singularly morbid fascist movement. By Stanley G. Payne (02/21/2017) See photo in article with heading: Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and members of the Legion of the Archangel Michael (also known as the Iron Guard) in Bucharest, Romania, in 1937. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fascism/2017/02/romania_s_unusually_morbid_fascist_movemen t_blended_nationalistic_violence.html Note: although this entry is not actually “cartel” material, since it connected to the 1930s, I feel there is applicability to current times in those cases where there is a mix of religiosity and governmental control systems. Tech Dirt: DEA loses big drug case thanks to illegal wiretap warrants prosecutor calls procedural errors https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151214/08492533071/dea-loses-big-drug-case-thanks-to-illegal-wiretap- warrants-prosecutor-calls-procedural-errors.shtml UCLA, Newsroom:  Jorja Leap Jumped In book (03/08/2012) http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/jorja-leap-jumped-in-book-230195