NarcoWatch - 2 April 2026
Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has intensified its activities, launching a propaganda offensive to announce operations in Morelos and continuing its drone warfare campaign in Michoacán. International cooperation remains a key counter-narcotics strategy, with U.S. commandos supporting Ecuadorian forces against Los Choneros and U.S. intelligence aiding a major cocaine seizure off Mexico's Pacific coast. Cartels continue to adapt sophisticated smuggling tactics, from dual-purpose illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of Mexico to complex concealment methods for drug shipments destined for the U.S. Southeast, while law enforcement actions in border cities like Tijuana disrupt heavily armed local cells engaged in violent turf wars.
Significant Incidents and Articles of Interest
CJNG Propaganda Offensive in Morelos, Mexico: The Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) launched an aggressive media campaign in eastern Morelos, releasing a video on March 31 formally announcing the start of its operations in the region. In the video, armed sicarios issued direct threats against local politicians, business leaders, and rival criminal groups. The announcement was coordinated with the overnight placement of multiple narcomantas (narco-banners) with similar intimidating messages in strategic commercial and transit locations in the municipalities of Yautepec, Cuautla, Jantetelco, and Yecapixtla. This public display is assessed as a move to intimidate the population and local authorities, signaling an imminent push to establish control over one of the state's most productive regions and likely presaging an increase in violence [1, 7].
U.S.-Ecuador Joint Operation Targets Los Choneros: In late March, U.S. special operations forces joined Ecuadorian troops in a joint mission, dubbed "Lanza Marina," targeting a suspected criminal hub for the Los Choneros cartel along Ecuador's coast. American commandos operated in an "assist and accompany" advisory role, supporting the raid on a compound believed to be a staging ground for the organization's high-speed smuggling boats. Los Choneros, designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S., is a sprawling network of approximately 12,000 members with ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. The operation is part of a broader U.S.-Ecuador agreement for joint military action against designated terrorist groups and reflects an accelerated U.S. Southern Command initiative to train partner nations for sustained counter-narcotics and counter-FTO operations [6].
Arsenal and Tactical Gear Seized from "El Ranchero" Cell in Tijuana: On March 23, state security forces in Tijuana, Baja California, seized a significant arsenal and tactical equipment linked to a violent criminal cell. Acting on a citizen tip in the Valle de las Palmas area, officers discovered an abandoned BMW containing multiple firearms, including rifles and handguns (.38 super, .45, 9mm), and various calibers of ammunition. Notably, three bulletproof vests were found bearing the legend "F.E.R" and a skull logo. Authorities have linked the materiel to a cell led by Franklin Ernesto Huezo Hernández, alias "El Ranchero," which intelligence services consider a primary generator of violence in the ongoing territorial disputes in Tijuana and Tecate [13].
Major DTO Drug Trafficking Busts in U.S. Gulf States: U.S. federal authorities announced significant disruptions of DTO trafficking operations in Louisiana and Alabama. In Louisiana, the U.S. Attorney's Office detailed five cases led by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) that resulted in the arrests of over a dozen individuals linked to CJNG and the Gulf Cartel. Seizures included 147 kg of methamphetamine concealed in ice cream freezers, 100 kg of cocaine in an 18-wheeler, and 15 kg of cocaine trafficked on behalf of CJNG [8]. In a separate case targeting Mobile, Alabama, three men were charged in a Gulf Cartel operation that smuggled cocaine from Matamoros, Mexico, concealed inside vehicle batteries. One cooperating defendant admitted to receiving an estimated 780 kg of cocaine via this method between 2022 and 2025 [10].
Pacific Maritime Cocaine Seizure: On March 30, the Mexican Navy (SEMAR), acting on intelligence from U.S. Northern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), intercepted a vessel approximately 61 nautical miles off the coast of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. The operation resulted in the arrest of six individuals and the seizure of approximately 650 kg of cocaine, packaged in 580 bricks. The seizure represents an estimated economic loss of 150 million pesos to organized crime and brings the total cocaine seized in Mexican maritime events during 2026 to over 10 tons [15].
CSRL Tactical Equipment Seizures: Security forces in Guanajuato conducted operations resulting in two significant materiel seizures linked to the Cártel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL). In Villagrán, a joint patrol recovered a stolen Volkswagen T-Cross abandoned by three fleeing suspects, containing a .223 caliber rifle, ammunition, two tactical vests marked "Cártel de Santa Rosa de Lima," and additional tactical gear. Separately, in Celaya, authorities discovered an abandoned cache on a rural road between San Isidro de Helguera and San José de Guanajuato, which included two motorcycles with altered identification, 60 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition, a rifle magazine, a tripod mount for heavy weaponry, and 10 metal tire spikes. The recoveries highlight CSRL's operational patterns of using stolen vehicles, abandoning equipment to evade capture, and preparing for ambush-style attacks against law enforcement in rural areas of their core territory [16].
DTO Activity and Tactics
New or Adapted Tactics
Weaponized Drones: The CJNG continues to leverage drone warfare in its territorial disputes. A drone operated by the group was filmed dropping an explosive device on a Carteles Unidos camp along the Jalisco-Michoacán border [11]. This tactic is becoming increasingly common, with teenage operators like "Chino Drones" (aka R-52) in Michoacán emerging as key figures in the cartel's aerial operations [3].
Sophisticated Smuggling Infrastructure: Spanish police uncovered a highly advanced drug tunnel connecting Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The tunnel reached a depth of 19 meters, had three levels, and was equipped with rails, wagons, pulleys, and cranes to move heavy shipments, demonstrating a high level of engineering and investment. The operation led to 27 arrests and the seizure of 17 metric tons of hashish [5].
Exploitation of Legitimate Commerce for Dual-Use Smuggling: Mexican cartels, primarily the Gulf Cartel, are financing illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen are often forced to harvest red snapper and other species illegally in U.S. waters. The vessels serve a dual purpose, also smuggling drugs and people. The illegally caught fish is then laundered back into U.S. markets using counterfeit "legal trip tickets," undermining conservation efforts and legitimate businesses [2, 9].
Sophisticated Concealment: DTOs are using increasingly complex methods to smuggle narcotics. The Gulf Cartel trafficked cocaine into Alabama, concealed in modified vehicle batteries [10]. In Louisiana, law enforcement disrupted separate plots involving 147 kg of methamphetamine hidden in fabricated metal boxes welded inside ice cream freezers and 100 kg of cocaine in a hidden compartment of an 18-wheeler cab [8].
Corruption of Government Institutions: A newly leaked audio recording suggests that a former coordinator of Michoacán's penitentiary system, Ignacio Mendoza Jiménez, accepted bribes from a CJNG plaza boss, "El Barbas." The bribe was allegedly in exchange for allowing the cartel to control the state's prisons to facilitate the sale of drugs and alcohol, effectively turning the institutions into criminal enterprises [12].
Geographic Trends
CJNG Expansion in Central Mexico: CJNG is publicly signaling its intent to expand operations into eastern Morelos, a strategically valuable economic region, demonstrating a clear pattern of territorial expansion beyond its traditional strongholds [1, 7].
Sinaloa Cartel Asserting Control in Baja California: A narcomanta signed by "Mayito Flaco" (Ismael Zambada Sicairos), son of "El Mayo" Zambada, appeared in Mexicali demanding all criminal elements "align" with his faction. This indicates an effort by the "Mayiza" faction of the Sinaloa Cartel to consolidate control in the key border plaza [14]. This effort occurs as smaller, heavily armed cells, such as the one led by "El Ranchero," contribute significantly to violence while battling for territory in the Tijuana and Tecate municipalities [13].
U.S. Gulf Coast as a Key Distribution Hub: Recent federal cases in Louisiana and Alabama confirm that the U.S. Gulf Coast is a primary entry and distribution corridor for cocaine and methamphetamine trafficked by CJNG and the Gulf Cartel [8, 10].
Guanajuato: CSRL continues to operate overtly in its traditional strongholds and surrounding areas. Recent activity and seizures were documented in Villagrán and Celaya, while social media videos confirmed a visible presence in Irapuato and San Miguel Octopan [16, 17, 4].
Targeting Trends
Rival Cartels: Open warfare between competing DTOs continues. This is evidenced by CJNG drone attacks on Carteles Unidos camps in the Michoacán-Jalisco border region [11]and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel conducting displays of force with armed convoys in Guanajuato [4].
Intimidation of Public and Private Sectors: As part of its expansion into Morelos, CJNG issued direct threats against local politicians and business owners, aiming to co-opt or neutralize any opposition to its establishment in the region [1, 7].
Indicators to Watch
An escalation of violence in eastern Morelos as CJNG attempts to displace rival groups following its public declaration of operations.
Increased use of weaponized commercial drones by CJNG and other groups, potentially with larger or more sophisticated explosive payloads.
Emergence of public threats or violence in Mexicali, Baja California, indicating resistance to the Sinaloa Cartel's "La Mayiza" faction's attempt to consolidate control.
Further evidence of high-level corruption within Mexican state institutions, particularly in prison systems or law enforcement, facilitating cartel operations.
An increase in U.S. Coast Guard interdictions of lanchas in the Gulf of Mexico, which may be engaged in multi-purpose smuggling of narcotics, people, and illegally harvested fish.
Monitoring of social media for footage from young cartel operatives, like CJNG's teenage drone operators, to track recruitment trends and the evolution of asymmetric warfare tactics.
