The sentencing of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada marked the end of the historic leadership that had headed the Sinaloa Cartel for decades. However, the fall of one of its founders does not imply the disappearance of the criminal organization: the scenario it faces points to greater fragmentation and the emergence of new leaders within a structure that for years operated through alliances between different families.
Two years after his capture in the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel is going through a new phase marked by the dispute between La Mayiza and Los Chapitos, the two main factions that emerged after the internal split. The war for control of territories, trafficking routes, and criminal networks continues to redefine the map of criminal power in Sinaloa.
Since Zambada’s arrest in July 2024, the two factions have been locked in a conflict that, according to news reports, has resulted in more than 3,000 homicides, over 4,000 disappearances, and dozens of displaced families in the state. The departure of the last historical founder has opened a leadership dispute that could accelerate the cartel’s transformation.
In this context, security expert David Saucedo explained that the future of the Sinaloa Cartel depends not on the continued presence of a single figure, but rather on the ability of its various factions to reorganize. In an interview with journalist Juan Pablo Pérez-Díaz for Radio Fórmula, he pointed out that the organization operates as a “confederation of families” that have formed alliances and broken away over the years, resulting in groups capable of filling the power gaps left by weakened factions.
