The presence of Mexican drug cartels has ceased to be a local phenomenon and has become a destabilizing factor in several Latin American countries. Organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) have expanded their operations beyond Mexico’s borders, exploiting institutional weaknesses, strategic routes, and expanding illicit markets in Central and South America.
The report State and Prospects of Security in South America in the First Quarter of the 21st Century, produced by the Security Policy Network, brings together security experts who note that these organizations are no longer limited to drug trafficking, but have diversified into other transnational crimes, including money laundering, arms trafficking, and the co-optation of local economies.
In addition, complex alliances with local criminal groups and illegal armed actors have been documented, broadening their geographic and operational reach.
One example of this convergence is the establishment of links between the Sinaloa Cartel and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Academic and security research indicates that Mexican cartels decided to expand their activities into Colombian territory to consolidate cocaine routes to the United States and other markets.
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Within this framework, the relationship between the Sinaloa Cartel and the FARC dates back to agreements under which shipments of large quantities of cocaine—more than ten tons in 2019—were coordinated to international markets, using the infrastructure of Colombian armed groups and regional criminal networks.
These agreements have also operated in conjunction with allies such as the so-called “Cartel of the Suns” in Venezuela, further complicating efforts to combat drug trafficking and deepening its impact on regional security.
Additionally, Colombian security authorities have identified logistical operations and trafficking of drugs and weapons between Mexican cartels—including the Sinaloa Cartel—and local groups linked to FARC dissidents, demonstrating an operational relationship that goes beyond mere rumors or speculation.
The influence of these organizations even transcends the polycentric dynamics of crime in the region. The presence of Mexican emissaries and logistical networks in strategic South American ports has been reported by police authorities, while violence associated with cocaine trafficking has escalated in countries such as Ecuador and Colombia as a result of competition and alliances among organizations.
Efforts to Combat Drug Trafficking in the Region
In a broader context, Mexico is part of multiple multilateral initiatives in the region, although some are not directly related to narcotics security. For example, Mexico is one of the 18 countries participating in regional efforts for the conservation of the jaguar (Panthera onca), a cooperation network focused on protecting biodiversity and the ecosystems inhabited by this feline, spanning from Mexico to Argentina.
These types of multilateral platforms—such as the Jaguar Network or regional conservation plans—illustrate how international cooperation also manifests in areas other than the fight against organized crime, but with cross-cutting impacts on governance and public policy in the region.
However, in light of the growing impact of Mexican cartels, analysts warn that the response cannot be exclusively national. The expansion of these organizations has underscored the need for greater regional cooperation in intelligence sharing, border control, and combating money laundering, as well as robust mechanisms for coordination among police and judicial agencies throughout Latin America.
Meanwhile, the influence of Mexican cartels continues to reconfigure the map of organized crime in the region, consolidating these organizations as transnational actors that affect security, the economy, and political stability in several Latin American countries.
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