Mexican Drug Cartels Like Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel Designated as Terrorists in Texas; Greg Abbott Calls on Joe Biden to Do the Same

Mexican drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel have been designated terrorist organizations by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

According to Mexico News Daily, Abbott designated the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco cartel, and "any similarly situated Mexican drug cartels who may be identified in subsequent proclamations" as "foreign terrorist organizations."

In his executive order, the governor also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to establish a Mexican Cartel Division "within the Texas Fusion Center" that will gather and analyze intelligence to enable further apprehension, prosecution, and disruption" of these terrorist organizations.

Abbott noted that Mexican drug cartels are behind the trafficking of hundreds of millions of lethal doses of fentanyl into Texas and the U.S. The Republican governor added that 1,600 Texans were fatally poisoned by drugs containing fentanyl in 2021, which was an increase of "more than 680% since 2018."

Abbott further noted that Mexican drug cartels also smuggle humans across the Texas-Mexico border and create "deadly violence" in the state. He said the designation targeting Mexican drug cartels would enhance apprehension, prosecution, and disruption while increasing awareness of their deadly activities.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Fighting Mexican Drug Cartels

Greg Abbott had also sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urging them to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations at the federal level, Townhall reported.

He told Biden that Mexican drug cartels terrorize the U.S. and its citizens every day, "leaving thousands of dead bodies in their wake." The governor specifically cited the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco cartel in his letter to the president.

Abbott noted that designating the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act would help them fight back against them and disrupt their "deadly attacks on America."

Among his directives, Abbott ordered the DPS to "identify, arrest, and impede the gangs in Texas that support the drug and human smuggling operations of these foreign terrorist organizations."

The DPS was also directed to "target, seize, and dismantle the infrastructure, assets, vehicles, and buildings used by foreign terrorist organizations to smuggle drugs and people" into Texas.

At a roundtable discussion with DPS Director Steve McCraw and other officials this week, Abbott said cartels are terrorists, and "it's time we treated them that way."

A recent U.S. Congressional Research Service report noted that the Jalisco cartel operates in Mexico City and 27 other states. On the other hand, the Sinaloa Cartel is believed to have a presence in about half of Mexico's 32 federal entities.

Turf War Between Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) is currently the Sinaloa Cartel's main rival. The Jalisco cartel is being led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known by his alias "El Mencho," according to InsightCrime.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's four sons, known as "Los Chapitos," were reportedly left in command of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

The Jalisco cartel came out from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 after the death of former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, known as "Nacho," who was killed by Mexican security forces. Nacho's death resulted in the split into two factions - "La Resistencia" and "Torcidos" - of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The "Torcidos" became what is now the Jalisco cartel, which has since expanded rapidly in Mexico. The Jalisco cartel involves itself in many criminal activities, including international drug trafficking.

Mexican drug cartels usually publicly display dead bodies to taunt their rivals or authorities. It is also sometimes used to scare local residents.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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