Ildefonso Ortiz

Ildefonso Ortiz

Articles by Ildefonso Ortiz

El Chapo’s Son Confesses to Kidnapping Former Ally ‘El Mayo,’ Gives Details of Event

The son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. As part of the plea deal, the young drug lord Joaquin “El Guero” Guzman Lopez confessed to having planned the kidnapping of his father’s former ally, Sinaloa Cartel’s co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in order to turn him over to U.S. authorities.

Mexico City Sinaloa Cartel Shootout

U.S. Consulate Warns of Los Zetas Cartel Carjackings in Mexico near Texas Border

U.S. consular officials are warning travelers about the high risk of carjackings by cartel gunmen on the highways leading north to the Texas border. Just hours after issuing that warning, a group of cartel gunmen shot two men from Mexico who were heading to Texas to take advantage of the Black Friday specials.

Cartel Del Noreste -- Los Zetas (Breitbart News Foundation/Cartel Chronicles)

Cartel Betrayal Deepens: El Chapo’s Son Set for Guilty Plea in U.S. Court

The son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is set to plead guilty in U.S. federal court in a stunning turn that could shatter cartel alliances and expose ties to Mexico’s political elite. Joaquín “El Moreno” Guzmán López, arrested in 2024 during a betrayal operation against Sinaloa kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is expected to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement — a move that threatens to unleash cartel secrets at the highest levels of power.

Son of El Chapo Expected to Plead Guilty Next Week (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforceme

Mexican Farmers Protest Cartel Violence, Extortion — Block Highways Throughout Country

Thousands of farmers and transportation workers took to the streets throughout Mexico to set up blockades along the main highways in the country as a way to protest the cartel violence and the extortion that they are subjected to. The protests come at a time of mounting pressure for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum over widespread allegations that, instead of protecting her citizens from organized crime, she and the country’s ruling party, MORENA, have been protecting the various criminal organizations terrorizing the nation.

Protesters in Mexico. (Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles)

Tijuana Mayor Threatens News Outlets Reporting on His Money Laundering Investigation

The mayor of the Mexican border city of Tijuana, Baja California, is threatening to take legal action against any news outlet that publishes information about an ongoing money-laundering investigation into him. The politician is allegedly linked to two businessmen who have been singled out for their alleged ties to both Cartel Jalisco New Generation and the Sinaloa Cartel.

CJNG (1)

No, Mexicans Are Not Rising Up To Overthrow Their Government

A highly publicized protest in Mexico City has sparked much international controversy, leading some news outlets and pundits on the right to suggest that Mexico could be seeing the start of a revolution similar to those seen in other countries during protests dubbed Gen Z. The reality in Mexico is much different, with the results of the protest expected to fizzle out. At the same time, political undercurrents shift between the country’s ruling party and its rivals as they prepare for future elections.

Surveillance video of a protest in Mexico City. (Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Carte

U.S. Treasury Goes After Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Albanian Mobsters

The U.S. Treasury Department has moved against a group of Albanian mobsters based in Mexico that worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to launder money through casinos and entertainment businesses. The move was coordinated with Mexican authorities, who began shutting down 13 casinos this week that had been transferring money to Romania, Switzerland, Malta, and the United Arab Emirates.

Sinaloa Patrol (1)

EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Border State Cops Ignore Innocent Victims of Cartel Attacks

Police in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas are ignoring innocent cartel victims and not responding to the scenes of attacks. This new development allows cartel gunmen to attack innocent victims with complete impunity while government officials claim that crime is decreasing in the cartel-controlled state.

State police failed to show at the scene of a cartel attack in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas

Israel: Mexico Stopped Iranian Assassination Plot Against Its Ambassador

The Israeli Embassy in Mexico revealed that Mexican authorities worked to foil an assassination plot by Iran against its ambassador in that country. The announcement sparked controversy in Mexico as government officials tried to distance themselves from the operation. Iran’s Embassy in Mexico claimed that it was all lies from Israel.

Mexican soldiers patrol Michoacan. (Credit: Breitbart Texas/ Cartel Chronicles

Mexican President Denounces War on Drugs, Killing Narcos

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, denounced the war on drugs, claiming that her government was not going to go that route because killing drug traffickers is a fascist approach that violates their rights. The comments come at a time when Mexico’s government has been harshly criticized worldwide for the raging cartel violence and the government corruption that has enabled it.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum takes questions during a news conference. (Credit: Bre

Riots Continue in Western Mexico After Crime-Fighting Mayor’s Murder

Riots continue in the Mexican state of Michoacan following the murder of a local mayor who had gained fame for his hard stance against crime and cartels. In the most recent riots, protesters set fire to the city hall building in Apatzingan as locals called for the ousting of cartel-connected politicians from Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA.

People chant during a funeral procession for late Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez,

Mexican Army Kills 13 Gunmen During Shootout in Sinaloa

Authorities in Mexico confirmed a large-scale shootout in the hyperviolent western state of Sinaloa, where 13 gunmen died while trying to ambush a squad of Mexican soldiers. In the aftermath of the clash, authorities also reported rescuing nine kidnapping victims.

Mexican Army

Cartel Connected Mexican Governor Kicked Out of Murdered Crime-Fighting Mayor’s Ceremony

The cartel-connected governor of the Mexican state of Michoacan had to leave a ceremony and wake held to honor Carlos Manzo, the murdered Mayor of Uruapan, who had become famous in Mexico for his hard stance against cartels. Amid insults, shoves, and shouts, Governor Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla had to make a quick exit after trying to attend the event. Hours later, hundreds of protesters vandalized the governor’s palace and even attempted to torch it during a protest over Manzo’s murder and the raging cartel violence that plagues Michoacan.

Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo who earned fame by fighting cartels died at the hands of cartel

Anti-Cartel Mayor Gunned Down in Cartel-Controlled Mexican State

A group of cartel gunmen shot and killed one of the most outspoken politicians in Western Mexico. The Uruapan, Michoacán, mayor had taken a hard stance against drug cartels and had his city cops fight them at a time when state and federal politicians there had deep connections to criminal organizations.

Murdered anti-cartel mayor Carlos Manzo (Credit: Presidencia Uruapan)

Mexican Journalist Killed for Reporting on Crime, Corruption

Unknown gunmen kidnapped and murdered a journalist in western Mexico. At the time of the killing, the gunmen left a posterboard claiming that the murder was for writing “false things about the people of Durango.”

Weapons and ammunition colledted during a crime scene attributed to the Sinaloa Cartel. (C

Gulf Cartel Running Surveillance Network Across Mexican Border City

The Gulf Cartel continues to run a complex surveillance network throughout the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, that includes TV cameras, lookouts, and its own clandestine radio network. The network gives the Gulf Cartel eyes and ears throughout the city, not only to keep rivals out but also to prey on the public.

Credit: Tamaulipas State Police

Mexican Border State Cops Abducted Travelers on Behalf of Cartel

Travelers in the border state of Tamaulipas are sounding the alarm about a police checkpoint that state investigators are allegedly setting up to collect extortion, and where at least three victims have been abducted and turned over to Gulf Cartel gunmen. The gunmen reportedly tortured the victims while demanding ransom.

Tamaulipas state police officers set up a roadblock. (Credit: Tamaulipas State Guard)

48 Bags with Human Remains Found in Cartel-Controlled Mexican State …So Far

Authorities in Mexico confirmed the discovery of 48 bags with human remains so far at the most recent clandestine gravesite in the cartel-controlled state of Jalisco. The state is controlled by Cartel Jalisco New Generation, one of the six Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration.

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion leakes video showing what appears to be a paramilitary arm

Cartel Gunmen Ambush Mexican Border State Cops near Texas

Gunmen with the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas wounded two Mexican police officers during an ambush-style attack. The attack is the third of its kind since Thursday, as police and military forces attempt to hold back the CDN-Los Zetas from setting up operations in Coahuila. The CDN-Los Zetas is one of six Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.

Mexican military, police, and immigration authorities gather on the south bank of the Rio

Cartel Gunmen Ambush Mexican Soldiers near Texas Border

The Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas carried out two ambush-style attacks on Mexican military forces just south of the Texas border. In one of those attacks, cartel gunmen allegedly tried to kidnap two soldiers. The CDN-Los Zetas is one of six Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist groups by the U.S. government.

Coahuila Police Attack (1)

Six Cartel Gunmen Killed in Clash Near Mexican Beach Hotspot

Six cartel gunmen died in a shootout near the beach tourist hotspot of Ensenada, Baja California. The shootout comes just days after two cartel banners addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel warned that Sinaloa Cartel gunmen would be targeting U.S. citizens.

Mexican military forces secure the scene where they clashed with a group of cartel gunmen

Mexican Chamber of Commerce Leader Reported Missing in Cartel-Controlled Border City

Authorities in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas confirmed that the vice-president of the state’s chamber of commerce has been reported missing in the city of Reynosa. The abduction comes a little over a year after the then president of the same chamber died at the hands of the Gulf Cartel in neighboring Matamoros after exposing the widespread extortion by the criminal organization with the help of city officials.

Reynosa

Migrants in Caravan Assault Immigration Officials in Southern Mexico

A group of migrants in southern Mexico clashed with immigration officials as they tried to round up women and children and take them to a shelter instead of having them spend the night in a park. The members of the caravan claim not to be headed for the U.S.-Mexico border but to Mexico City instead, with hopes of getting legal status to stay in that country.

Migrants in Caravan Assault Immigration Officials in Southern Mexico (Credit: Breitbart Ne

Corrupt Bank Defended by Mexican President to Close After U.S. Treasury’s Cartel Sanctions

A cartel-connected bank, once defended by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, lost its license to operate in Mexico and is in the process of selling off its assets. The move comes just months after the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned the bank and two other financial institutions for having laundered money for drug cartels and for helping move money to China to pay for fentanyl precursors.

Credit: Breitbart Texas / Ildefonso Ortiz