New Generation Jalisco Cartel 'Just Bought the Ticket to Being Enemy No. 1' The Associated Press
go to original May 11, 2015

People participate in a weekend march for peace after violent actions by alleged members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation, in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Milenio Jalisco)

It has the drugs and distribution system of a traditional cartel - and it has the modern weapons and audacity of an army. After attacking federal forces, downing a military helicopter and shutting down streets in Mexico's second-largest city this month, New Generation Jalisco cartel is now the main enemy in the country's fight with drug cartels.

In just a few years, New Generation has grown from being an offshoot of the powerful Sinaloa cartel to one of Mexico's strongest criminal groups in its own right, according to the US Treasury Department, whose Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains a "black list" of drug trafficking organisations.

Its quick rise reflects a rapidly changing organised-crime landscape in Mexico as the government targets top leaders of established cartels. More than any other criminal group, New Generation has taken advantage of the government's top-capo strategy, strengthening and grabbing territory from other cartels as they are weakened.

"You're talking about a powerful, large organization with grand logistics, well-made structures, a strong group of assassins, and dedicated and qualified people with high-calibre weaponry," Guillermo Valdes, a security expert and former director of the Mexican intelligence agency, said. "It's a new cartel, a second generation born in a restructuring process."

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