Description: Intense armed confrontation broke out between members of the Jalisco New Generation (JNG) Cartel and local armed groups as several cargo trucks and vehicles were torched on the Mexico City – Guadalajara highway. The JNG cartel splintered from the Sinaloa cartel into a separately organized crime group in 2010 which according to DEA estimates numbers around 19,000 members, who are heavily armed and logistically organized. The surge in violence was caused by strict border controls by joint US and Mexican military and security forces which prompted turf wars in several Mexican federal states. Mexican authorities face a constant losing battle against highly sophisticated organized crime groups in the country which was exacerbated by the US designation of drug cartels as terrorist organizations and continuous US operations to subdue cartel activity on the US – Mexico border in the last couple of months.
Impact: The recent upsurge in cartel violence and the intensified turf wars are effectively caused by extensive joint operations conducted by the US and Mexican authorities. Mexico, currently facing mounting pressure from US tariffs, is conditioned to cordon their internal security issues with the cartels while US military presence on the border intensified the persecution over the cartels as key smuggling routes were being cut off. The intense pressure from US tariffs on the Mexican economy, the constant socio – economic issues with corruption would only aggravate the security situation in the country as the cartels are known to resort to brutal executions and armed confrontations when their sources of revenue are threatened. The security situation in Mexico faces severe destabilization as the Central and Southern American region of countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Haiti also face internal security problems caused by armed gangs and cartels in their battle for drug trafficking dominance.