The Sinaloa Cartel, considered one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations on the globe, may be on the brink of collapse as internal fights, government crackdowns, and never-before-seen alliances fracture its empire.
At the center of the chaos is an internal civil war that has turned parts of Mexico into war zones.
A power struggle between the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – known as Los Chapitos – and the faction loyal to his former partner, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, has left more than 1,300 people dead in just the last year around Sinaloa alone, per a report from the DEA.
Over 1,500 more people allegedly remain missing, connected to the cartel wars.
In a move that would have once seemed unthinkable, Los Chapitos have, according to media reports, struck a deal with their former enemies—the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This desperate alliance comes as both Mexican and American law enforcement agencies boost efforts to fight the growing drug trade.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s recent problems apparently stem from betrayal within its internal top ranks.
Last year, Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s direct sons, lured longtime ally “El Mayo” into a trap, according to various reports, like that from ABC News, kidnapping him and turning him over to American law enforcement.
This act shattered a long-respected, but seldom spoken of, loose peace treaty, and may have sparked a new conflict between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos – for the first time in history.
The result of the Sinaloa Cartel’s murky conflicts has resulted in a never-before-seen response of violence in cartel stronghold areas like Culiacán, where assassinations, kidnappings, and ambushes are not only a near-daily occurrence, but a now booming occurrence, per a June report from AP News.
The damage to Los Chapitos has not been merely territorial; it’s also rumored to be financial.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has taken a much harder line on Mexico’s drug trafficking into America, pressuring President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration to produce any results on the seemingly endless flow of narcotics into the United States, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
The growing internal war, after what some may consider the collapse of the “El Chapo” hierarchy, as well as other geopolitical pressures, has forced the formerly independent Sinaloa Cartel into an apparent corner.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was first captured in 1993, but broke out of a Mexican prison in 2001. Authorities caught him again in 2014, though he managed another escape in 2015. He was ultimately apprehended for the final time in January 2016 and transported to a high-security prison in America, where he will likely remain until his death.
Ovidio Guzmán López, son of “El Chapo,” was briefly detained by Mexican authorities in October 2019, but was released the same day after cartel violence erupted in Culiacán. He was later recaptured in January 2023 and extradited to the United States in September of that year. Now, the drug kingpin’s son is apparently pledging his cooperation with American law enforcement, per ICE.
“The guilty plea by Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, is a real victory for both the U.S. and Mexico but also a clear win for the rule of law,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations acting special agent in charge Ray Rede. “So much blood and violence lay with the Guzman family as well as spreading terror and plaguing both sides of the border.”
The alleged alliance, which has never been seen before with the cartel factions connected to the CJNG, could be viewed as a desperate and dangerous attempt by the Los Chapitos umbrella to survive in the competitive cartel wars. In exchange for weapons and financial support, the faction is reportedly ceding key trafficking territory to its former rivals, according to the DEA.
The recent reshuffling of Mexico’s criminal landscape could have far-reaching impacts globally, including in Texas.
The Jalisco cartel, according to some DEA reports, is currently flush with the finances of Los Chapitos, and could try to cement itself as the dominant fentanyl trafficker in the Western Hemisphere, with active links from South America to Europe, and beyond.
For some Americans, the cartel shake-up may not feel close to home, but the stakes are real.
Fentanyl remains the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the U.S – according to the CDC, and most of the deadly synthetic opioid flows into America from foreign countries like China, India, and Mexico.
While Los Chapitos and CJNG fight for dominance, the nonstop mass production of narcotics and drug trafficking continues, though now potentially spread more discreetly across different Mexican states as cartels adapt to the new enforcement tactics from the Trump administration.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s umbrella model, often feared by many for its violent efficiency and power, is hopefully beginning to unravel now that Chapo and his son have been locked down in the U.S.
It remains unknown whether Los Chapitos will be able to hold out or whether the CJNG will be able to absorb the remnants of their faction.
Violence will likely be the judge’s gavel.
What is certain is that the cartel landscape in Mexico, so close to Texas, is entering a volatile phase: one shaped not just by criminal greed, but real political will, shifting global drug markets, and a drug epidemic that shows no signs of slowing down.
As previously reported by DX, the Customs and Border Protection agency reported a historic low of 25,228 “encounters” in June 2025, with southwest border apprehensions dropping 15% from the previous record. For the second straight month, no illegal immigrants were released into the U.S. interior, compared to nearly 28,000 in June 2024. Drug seizures rose, and tariff revenue remained strong.
Hopefully, for Texans, that trend will continue.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the ex-head of the Sinaloa Cartel, received a life sentence plus 30 years in 2019 after being convicted on multiple charges tied to his cartel leadership.
Ovidio Guzmán López, son of El Chapo, pleaded guilty on July 11, 2025, in Chicago to drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering charges as a Sinaloa Cartel leader. His sentencing is pending, as of the time of publication.