Access to drug shipments, chemical substances, and distribution routes has made the port of Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, a focal point of conflict between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the group known as “Los Mezcales,” and operatives linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
The confrontation also involves local criminal cells engaged in street-level drug dealing and other illicit activities within the municipality, according to a report on criminal groups issued by the federal government’s Security Cabinet.
The criminal struggle for control of Manzanillo involves the CJNG, Los Mezcales, and two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel: “La Mayiza” and “Los Chapitos.”
The document states that Los Mezcales—also known as the Independent Cartel of Colima—are attempting to seize control of the areas surrounding the port of Manzanillo through tactics such as homicide, extortion, and street-level drug trafficking, carried out by hitmen from their local cells. Federal reports indicate that the CJNG operates in tandem with the “Tropa de Alto Impacto” (TAI) and its armed wing, “Cobra,” as well as a criminal cell known as “Jalipa.”
According to the Colima State Coordination Board, both the Jalipa and Cobra cells have been dismantled as a result of intelligence operations conducted by the Mexican Navy (Semar).
Fabián Ricardo Gómez Calcáneo, Colima’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, explained in an interview with *Excélsior* that the authorities’ strategy in Manzanillo combines seizures carried out by the Mexican Navy with ground-based investigations aimed at dismantling criminal networks.
The Navy’s intervention has restricted the operational space available to the major organizations vying for control of the port, though some of their structures remain active in the sale of drugs for local consumption. “The strategy is comprehensive; just as the Manzanillo port administration, the naval region, and the Pacific naval force are consistently seizing drug shipments—whether within port facilities, on the high seas, or along the coast—we are doing our part on land by dismantling criminal structures,” he stated.
The state official added that the investigations also encompass the theft of motor transport vehicles, cargo units, shipping containers, and goods from businesses.
