The alliance between Los Chapitos and the CJNG could be the birth of a “supercartel”

The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel has pushed Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, leader of Los Chapitos and son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, into an unexpected alliance: a strategic collaboration with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), led by his former enemy, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.

For years, Los Chapitos and the CJNG violently disputed key regions in northern and western Mexico. However, the pressure of the war against La Mayiza, the capture of Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López, and the weakening of Iván Archivaldo’s security apparatus, have reshaped their priorities.

For journalist Ioan Grillo, the merger of these two powerful cartels could change Mexico’s criminal landscape and give rise to a structure with unprecedented binational operational capacity: a supercartel.

In an interview with Óscar Balderas for the program “Esquina Balderas” on the YouTube channel La Saga, British organized crime expert Ioan Grillo—director of CrushOut Media—explained that this alliance responds to a situation of vulnerability.

“What does that mean? That Iván and Los Chapitos can survive and hold out with people from the Jalisco gang, who can send them there… but it also affects them in many ways… it changes the drug landscape in Mexico,” he stated.

Grillo warned that the magnitude of this cooperation could escalate beyond a temporary alliance: “It’s like an alliance, a supercartel, a very strong manufacturing, trafficking, and everything network.”

The DEA, in its National Drug Threat Assessment 2025, notes that a potential strategic alliance between Los Chapitos and the CJNG “has the potential to expand these groups’ territories, resources, firepower, and access to corrupt officials,” which could cause “a significant disruption to the existing criminal balance of power in Mexico.”

Grillo not only highlights the magnitude of the alliance, but also details the immediate tactical benefits for the CJNG. One of these is access to strategic corridors in the north of the country.