Special limited time offer to qualified returning subscribers. The groups, which have expanded their areas of operation since last year , had announced they were in conflict with each other in February and March Michoacan, a state valued for smuggling routes as well as the production of illicit drugs within the region, is the home state of both La Familia Michoacana LFM and the KT.
The KT has taken over much of LFM's operations and turf, putting it and the Sinaloa Federation into the state's strongest criminal groups. Whether this rivalry will affect either group's relationship with Sinaloa remains unclear. Gunmen in two trucks opened fire on a taxi April 13 in the Region 92 area of Cancun, Quintana Roo state, killing two people in the cab and injuring a third. The passengers were later identified as members of Los Zetas.
Then on April 16, authorities in Cancun discovered the body of a man who had been executed β the coastal city's sixth execution in less than a week. The body was accompanied by a narcomanta reportedly signed CJNG. CJNG's presence in Cancun remains unconfirmed. Still, the spike in violence coupled with Los Pelones' inability to assault the far larger Los Zetas suggests a larger criminal organization has stepped in on Los Pelones' side. CJNG has demonstrated the ability to expand operations over large geographic regions quickly and is experienced at fighting Los Zetas in Zetas strongholds.
If the CJNG is in fact operating in Cancun, violence in the resort city should escalate as the turf war continues. Currently, Los Zetas control Cancun, occasionally coming into conflict with independent local drug dealers, such as Los Pelones. As we noted in our annual cartel report , increased border security on the U.
Cancun's location makes an ideal starting point for Mexican criminal cartel operations in the Caribbean. In addition to its value for air and maritime shipments, Cancun's tourism sector makes retail sales of illicit drugs; extortion on businesses that profit from the tourism; and other criminal enterprises, such as gambling and prostitution, more lucrative.
