Mexican Cartel

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The organization's roots trace back to 1989 when Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo was arrested for his role in the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. While incarcerated, he maintained control via mobile phone until his transfer to a maximum-security prison in the 1990s, causing his empire to fracture into three factions: Tijuana, Juarez, and Sinaloa. The Tijuana faction was led by Gallardo's nephews, the Arellano-Félix brothers. The group is notorious for extreme violence, including a mass murder of 18 people in Ensenada on September 17, 1998, ordered by Ramón Arellano Félix. By January 2007, Mexican army troops intervened to restore order and root out corrupt police officers cooperating with the cartel. Conflicts between factions led by Teodoro García Simental (who favored kidnappings) and Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano (focused on drug trafficking) fueled violence in 2008.

In Their Own Story

In January 2010, the arrest of El Teo eliminated much of his kidnapping-focused faction from Tijuana, with some remnants joining the Sinaloa Cartel. A relative peace followed between 2010 and 2012, speculated to be a pact between the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels, where Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano acted as a figurehead under the dominance of Joaquín Guzmán Loera. Despite this, the Tijuana Cartel maintained local hegemony by charging a toll, or 'piso,' on Sinaloa for trafficking in their territory. The alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel formed in June 2020 quickly disintegrated when the Jalisco cartel attempted to replace rather than aid them. This led the Tijuana Cartel to assassinate Cabo 33, the Jalisco head of operations in Baja California. Following the release of Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano in 2023 and an alliance with Rafael Caro Quintero, the group has consolidated power, retaking control from outside influences.

Reader's Guide

To understand the Tijuana Cartel's current state, note its shifting alliances and leadership changes. The organization consists of seven brothers and four sisters, with Alicia and Enedina being the most active female members. Key figures include Javier Arellano Félix (captured August 2006), Benjamín Arellano Félix (captured March 9, 2002; extradited April 29, 2011), Eduardo Arellano Félix (captured October 26, 2008; extradited August 31, 2012), and Ramón Arellano Félix (killed February 10, 2002). Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano took over after the brothers' arrests but was himself arrested in June 2014. The cartel infiltrates law enforcement and judicial systems while trafficking multi-ton quantities of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine. As of November 2020, emissaries from the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel attempted to form an alliance with the resurgent Tijuana Cartel, though Mexicali and Rosarito remain known Sinaloa outposts in Baja California.

Did You Know?

• The Tijuana Cartel was founded by the Arellano-Félix family following Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo's 1989 arrest.
• Ramón Arellano Félix ordered a hit that resulted in the mass murder of 18 people in Ensenada on September 17, 1998.
• Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano took over cartel operations after Eduardo Arellano Félix was captured on October 26, 2008, becoming the last brother at large until his own arrest in June 2014.
• The cartel charged a 'piso' (toll) to the Sinaloa Cartel for trafficking drugs in Tijuana territory during their period of relative peace (2010–2012).
• In June 2020, the group rebranded as Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación before reverting to the Arellano-Félix name after an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel collapsed.