In recent decades, the name of the Sinaloa Cartel has been synonymous with power, violence and drug trafficking. Although these last words remind us of certain films or series, reality goes beyond fiction.
This criminal group, founded by Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, has its origins in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and has succeeded expand your operations internationally, becoming one of the main criminal organizations in the world.
He was born in the 90s, when Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, Juan José “El Azul” Esparragoza and Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel started to build the main drug trafficking routes from South America to the United States, transporting large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.
Since then, these routes have managed to cross the ocean and position themselves on the other side of the Atlantic.
Although there are already traces of his passage through Spain, he has recently been associated with the alleged participation in kidnappings and murders of a man in Catalonia, with a total of 14 arrestsnine of them were people of Mexican origin. The detainees are 11 men and three women, aged between 30 and 70.
🚩Fourteen people linked to the Sinaloa cartel arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a man in Catalonia
This group is involved in the kidnapping and death of a man whose body was found in a wooded area of #Tarragonawho had traveled from #Italy For… pic.twitter.com/flbIIsIe1m
– National Police (@policia) November 17, 2024
According to the police, the criminal organization used the room of a chalet in the town of Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona) to carry out kidnappings and torture to other alleged rival drug traffickers of his organization.
They are linked to methamphetamine trafficking. Indeed, during the arrest, the agents discovered a clandestine laboratory in which they extracted the drug impregnated with clothing or shoes and transformed it into glass.
Arrests in Spain
In recent years, Spanish security forces intensified their efforts to combat the activities of the Sinaloa cartel throughout the territory. Major operations have resulted in the arrest of key members of the organization, such as in 2012, when four individuals were arrested in Madrid through a joint operation with the FBI.
In 2018, the Civil Guard intercepted a shipment of 370 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Algeciras and in 2020 the National Police dismantled a clandestine laboratory of methamphetamines in the suburbs of Barcelona, seizing 200 kilograms of the drug and arresting several people involved.
In addition, cities like Madrid, Tenerife, Valencia and Alicante have become key points of various police operations, reflecting the growing presence of the Sinaloa cartel in the country.
