Ildefonso Ortiz

The man responsible for establishing a reign of terror in part of Mexico’s northern border region pleaded guilty to several drug trafficking and money laundering charges in a U.S. federal court. He is facing a possible life term in prison. That cartel boss is not only responsible for ordering hundreds of forced disappearances and establishing clandestine gravesites in northern Mexico but his gunmen are directly linked to a brazen attack on the U.S. Consulate building in Nuevo Laredo.

Two European countries reportedly warned their citizens about possible cartel terror attacks in Mexico. The warnings come as Mexico has seen a dramatic rise in terror-style attacks, such as random shootings at bars and the use of car bombs and other explosives by cartels.

Authorities in Spain announced the recent arrest of a Sinaloa Cartel cell that they had linked to drug trafficking, ransom kidnapping, and murders in that country. As part of the raids tied to the cell, Spanish authorities also dismantled a lab that cartel members used to remove synthetic drugs that had been infused into clothing to smuggle them into the country.

Thousands of migrants continue to enter Mexico through its southern border as they work to get travel permits to make their journey to the U.S. border in hopes of getting asylum.

The recent discovery of the largest drug lab in Canada’s history highlights the ongoing expansion and sophistication of Canadian drug gangs. The gangs have developed international connections with Mexican drug cartels and U.S. criminal organizations.

A police officer from the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas faces a murder charge for his role in the killing of an underage teenager he allegedly mistook for a gunman. He and five other officers are also charged with planting evidence to cover up the incident.

A group of gunmen stormed yet another bar in central Mexico, killing five victims and injuring seven others. The shooting is the second of its kind in as many days where gunmen have fired indiscriminately at bar patrons in Mexico.

Authorities in Mexico are on the hunt for at least one kidnaping suspect after two gunmen rescued him and another man during a prisoner transfer in central Mexico.

Newsweek falsely claimed that a migrant caravan moving through southern Mexico with the hopes of eventually reaching the U.S. border was turning back following President-Elect Donald Trump’s election. Contrary to the Newsweek report, the caravan is still moving through southern Mexico.

A new migrant caravan departed Mexico’s southern border in an attempt to reach the U.S. border before the arrival of a new Trump administration. Mexican immigration officials stood by as the caravan departed while police forces escorted them.

Authorities in Mexico City are investigating an alleged drug trafficking organization that used a tunnel to move drugs into one of their street-level storefronts. While drug traffickers favor the use of tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border, its use in other parts of the country is rare.

Gunmen shot and killed two journalists in less than 24 hours in separate incidents in Mexico. The killings come as press freedom organizations continue to point to Mexico as one of the most dangerous places for news workers.

A former border county prosecutor in Texas will spend more than three years in federal prison for having demanded money from a woman to dismiss misdemeanor charges against her son. New information points to the prosecutor having taken more money than initially believed.

A group of gunmen shot and killed a journalist in Mexico just moments after he finished interviewing a local mayor. The murder comes as international press freedom organizations continue to label Mexico as one of the most dangerous places for news workers.

A former special forces police officer in the state of Tamaulipas switched sides and became a cell leader within the Gulf Cartel. Most recently, the cop turned drug lord was behind most of the violence in the central part of Tamaulipas, particularly in the cities of Jimenez, Abasolo, and Soto La Marina.

Two Mexican mayors had their vehicles taken at gunpoint by cartel operators in the state of Sinaloa. The region has been overwhelmed by a fierce turf war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The carjackings do not appear to have been coordinated, but both took place at around the same time as both mayors traveled to the state capital to meet with the governor.

Authorities in Mexico confirmed that 11 of the 15 hitmen arrested for their role in a series of cartel gunbattles in the state of Guerrero are from Guatemala and El Salvador. The other four are Mexican citizens.

Authorities in Mexico are investigating two separate attacks in the state of Guanajuato where cartel gunmen blew up two police vehicles and one station using car bombs. The terror-style attack comes as cartel gunmen have been directly targeting police officers as a way to force them to pick sides in a fierce cartel turf war.

Mexican Army soldiers killed 19 cartel gunmen and arrested a local crime boss during a shootout this week in the war-torn state of Sinaloa. The shootout comes as two rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel wage a fierce turf war, leading to hundreds of murders and forced disappearances.

A group of tourists who were traveling from the northern Mexican border region to western Mexico came under fire in the central part of the country during an apparent highway robbery attempt.

Mexican military forces clashed with Gulf Cartel gunmen in the border city of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. The clashes come after months of military forces avoiding direct conflict with gunmen. The shift in strategy comes after Gulf Cartel gunmen began using drones to drop explosive devices on rival gunmen and police forces in areas just south of the Texas border.

A newspaper in Mexico that reports on the raging cartel violence in the state of Sinaloa became the target of its gunmen. In two days, gunmen carried out a shooting attack on its main building and then, the following day, kidnapped one of its delivery men.

A group of gunmen fired at least a dozen shots at the offices of one of the main newspapers in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The attack comes as Sinaloa is ground zero for a fierce turf war between rival cartel factions. Mexico’s government has largely avoided interfering despite deploying hundreds of soldiers to the region.

The recent drug sentencing of a man who was at one time considered Mexico’s top law enforcement official has continued to fuel a slew of allegations about which former Mexican president, if any, did not have ties or dealings with drug cartels during their respective administration.

The Gulf Cartel silenced local news outlets in the border city of Matamoros, telling reporters the murder of one of its longtime lieutenants would trigger violent consequences if made public.

El Cártel del Golfo silenció a los medios de comunicación locales de la ciudad fronteriza de Matamoros, diciéndoles que el asesinato de uno de sus lugartenientes con más antigüedad desataría consecuencias violentas de hacerse público.

A cartel-connected Mexican governor is pointing the finger at Mexican journalists as responsible parties if he becomes a target of attacks by gunmen. The politician has been the topic of numerous news articles hinting that he may have played a role in setting up a trap where Los Chapitos captured infamous drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and turned him over to U.S. authorities.

A new migrant caravan of approximately 1,000 migrants departed from Mexico’s southern border this weekend to make its way to Mexico City. From there, the group is expected to disperse and find various ways to reach the U.S. border. The caravan is the second to start in Mexico since October 1, when the country’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, took office.

A group of cartel gunmen kidnapped a Mexican border state senator and held him for hours, highlighting the control that criminal organizations continue to have in the state of Tamaulipas. The case details remain unknown, but relatives confirmed that the politician was home by Saturday morning. Unofficial information points to the gunmen releasing the politician, who made his way to a nearby house where he asked for help.

The son of a Mexican mayor is facing kidnapping charges for his alleged role in a cartel-connected kidnapping gang that included other politically connected people, all from the state of Guerrero. The case comes at a time when that Mexican state made international headlines after unknown gunmen kidnapped and beheaded the mayor of its capital city, Chilpancingo, just six days after assuming his post.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas allege that a contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement used a charter bus to move a large group of illegal migrants north. The defendants allegedly claimed they were transporting legal unaccompanied minors that her company was hired to move.

A Gulf Cartel lieutenant faces charges for his alleged role in a 2021 shootout that killed 14 innocent bystanders. The local organized crime boss was also accused of numerous kidnappings in various border cities in Tamaulipas. 

Despite numerous claims by Mexico’s government about a decrease in crime, a group of gunmen beheaded the mayor of the capital city of Guerrero just six days after he took office. The killing sparked much outrage by politicians at the national level since the murder victim hails from one of the parties opposed to Mexico’s ruling party, Morena.

A small town in southern Mexico voted to kick out U.S.-bound migrants who had been staying in their community during their journey north. The vote to expel the migrants comes after at least one of them is believed to have killed a local woman.

Local college students ran for cover as cartel gunmen clashed with Tamaulipas state police forces near a university campus in the Mexican border city of Matamoros.

A group of gunmen riding on jet skis pulled up to one of the luxurious hotels in Cancun, shot an unidentified man, and fled before authorities could arrive. The shooting is just one of several that have taken place in recent months in the popular beach resort area as rival drug cartels wage a fierce turf war.