The Caborca Cartel (Spanish: Cártel de Caborca) is a Mexican criminal organization commanded by the veteran drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, (founder of the defunct Guadalajara Cartel) and concentrating its drug trafficking operations in the border municipality of Caborca. At present, the group has a bloody dispute with the Los Salazar criminal cell, identified as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel.[1] The group allied with the Juárez Cartel to dispute the areas of Sonora and Chihuahua, having regrouped their forces and deciding to dispute the territory of his former partner Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.[2][3]
Cártel de Caborca | |
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Rafael Caro Quintero Miguel Caro Quintero |
| Years active | 2019−present |
| Territory | Sonora and Chihuahua |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, robbery, murder, arms trafficking |
| Allies | |
| Rivals | |
History edit
According to the Secretariat of the Navy, it warned of the growing conflict between criminal cells Los Páez and/or Los Paleteros (led by Rodrigo Páez Quintero, nephew of Rafael Caro Quintero) and Los Cazadores together with Los Salazar, (cells related to the Sinaloa Cartel), causing an increase in intentional homicides in the state of Sonora.[4][5] Since the beginning of 2020, various drug messages awarded to the Caborca Cartel commonly left after armed confrontations, stating that Caro Quintero comes through the territories that "belong to him."[6] It was until January 2021 when federal intelligence sources confirmed that Caro Quintero runs the cartel. They also mention that the main objective of Caro Quintero has been to dispute the territory of Sonora with the faction of Los Chapitos and Los Salazar, led by the sons of Guzmán.[7][8]
On 15 July 2022, Caro Quintero was captured by Mexican authorities in San Simón, a settlement within the Choix Municipality of Sinaloa.[9][10][11] Despite the capture, some media mention that the operation was too celebrated and oversized, taking into account that the cartel's participation is local, unlike more established cartels such as the Juárez Cartel or the Sinaloa Cartel.[12]
It was not until April 30 of the following year that Rodrigo Omar alias "El R" was arrested in an operation carried out by elements of Fiscalía General de la República and Secretariat of the Navy, this in the Guadalajara metropolitan area”.[13][14]
References edit
- ^ "El resurgimiento de Caro Quintero, el "Narco de Narcos": Cártel de Caborca disputa Sonora a los "Chapitos"". Infobae Noticias. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "El Cártel de Juárez y de Caborca: la violenta alianza que se estaría dando en el hampa de México". Infobae Noticias. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Caro Quintero: un imperio criminal, la condena de 28 años y su inesperado regreso con el Cártel de Caborca". Infobae Noticias. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Se disputan Caborca 4 grupos criminales; son escisiones del Cártel del Pacífico". Excelsior. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Hijos del "Chapo" y Cártel de Caro Quintero desatan guerra en desierto de Sonora". El Universal Noticias. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Cártel de Caborca, el regreso de Rafael Caro Quintera". La Silla Rota. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Dirige Caro Quintero el cártel de Caborca". La Jornada. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "Dirige Caro Quintero el cártel de Caborca". La Jornada Baja California. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ Univision. "Capturan al capo de la droga Rafael Caro Quintero, el hombre más buscado por la DEA". Univision (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-07-16.
- ^ "'Narco of narcos': drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero arrested in Mexico | Mexico | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
- ^ "Choix, Sinaloa, el sitio donde la Marina detuvo a Caro Quintero". El Universal (in Spanish). 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
- ^ "Rafael Caro Quintero's Capture in Mexico Celebrated and Overstated". Insight Crime. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
- ^ "México: detienen a presunto jefe del Cártel de Caborca". Deutche Welle. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ "Autoridades mexicanas detienen a presunto líder del Cártel de Caborca". La Vanguardia. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-19.