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Mexico is a beautiful country but behind these picturesque beaches, amazing and varied cuisines, and warm, welcoming people lies an underworld known for its ruthless Mexican cartels that aren't even afraid of openly confronting the military forces.

Since a crackdown on drug cartels began in 2006, more than 60,000 people have disappeared in Mexico, according to an article by Latin Post. These disappearances can be traced back to 1964, according to New York Times. Since President Obrador took office in December 2018, authorities uncovered 873 clandestine burial sites containing more than one thousand bodies.

Here are the top four most dangerous cartels in Mexico operating until today, according to Latin Times:

1. The Sinaloa Cartel

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest drug trafficking groups in the world according to the US government. The group controls much of Mexico's north-west part.

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the notorious drug lord who was once known as one of the world's richest man, founded the cartel in the late 1980s. The Sinaloa Cartel is known for being very violent and has kidnapped, tortured and slaughtered members of other cartels.

When El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzmán Lopez was captured in 2019, the cartel openly fought with the army in daylight, forcing the Mexican government to free the younger Guzman.

2. The Jalisco New Generation (CJNG)

Jalisco New Generation may be considered a young cartel formed in 2010 but it quickly established itself as Sinaloa's most aggressive competitor and has an international reach. Operating in the western part of the country, the group is said to be the largest distributor of synthetic drugs in America and is also a leading amphetamine distributor in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

It is headed by Ruben "El Mencho" Oseguera, a former police which turned into Mexico's most wanted man. A $10 million bounty is being offered by the Mexican government for his capture.

This cartel is also known for its violence, killing dozens of public officials and attacking security forces. It even attacked an army helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.

3. The Gulf Cartel

The Gulf Cartel operated mainly in the north-east area of the country with the state of Tamaulipas as its center. One of the earliest cartels in Mexico and has been around since the 1980s, it is known for its partnerships with other cartels in Colombia.

Juan García Abrego, the head of the group, is the first Mexican drug lord included in the FBI's 10 most wanted list. When he was captured, he was taken over by his son Osiel Cardenas Guillen who is even more violent.

Abrego's arrest and his brother's death forced the group to split into several factions. At present it is currently engaged in a turf war with Los Zetas, a cartel composed of former corrupt special forces soldiers.

4. Los Zetas Cartel

The Los Zetas Cartel shares the same area with the Gulf Cartel which explains the current turf war between the two groups since Los Zetas was formed in 2010. Los Zetas san be called a breakaway group from the Gulf Cartel since it was formed by corrupt members of an elite unit of special forces who previously worked the Gulf Cartel's leader back in the 1990s.

At the height of their power in 2012, the Los Zetas Cartel overtook their rivals including the Sinaloa Cartel. The group started to decline when many of its leaders were captured.