Chilling reason deadly drug cartel is assassinating its own hitmen
The Sinaloa Cartel - one of the largest drug trafficking organisations on the planet - is said to be assassinating its own hitmen as part of an internal 'cleanse'
A Mexican drug cartel is assassinating its own hitmen in a bizarre internal power struggle which has rocked the criminal world.
The killings of known Sinaloa Cartel members has seen operators and drug dealers, who had previously gone unidentified by the authorities, exposed in the most bizarre circumstances. This phenomenon, identified by a researcher from the Baja California Roundtable for Peace and Security, suggests the organisation is carrying out an 'internal cleansing' in a bid to take back control.
In one instance, Wendy Martínez, 39, was murdered inside Tijuana General Hospital on May 21. She was later identified as a drug dealer in the Ignacio Ramírez neighbourhood and had been attacked by another member of the same gang.
According to ZETA Tijuana, the current wave of violence not only involves clashes between rival factions, but also conflicts deep within the organisation itself.
"It seems they're engaged in what they call a clean sweep, trying to gain control of areas and points of sale among themselves," one insider said.
Back in March the Sinaloa Cartel ordered its "cooks" to stop making fentanyl after US president Donald Trump labelled designated them as a terrorist organisation.
Sinaloa Cartel operators were instructed to immediately suspend production of the synthetic drug after bosses made the order, concerned that any identification the drugs came from them would lead to enforcement action.
An investigation by Mexican TV news show Nmás found no staff at a fentanyl factory, with supplies including chemical bottles with residue, scales, gas masks, and dust-covered overalls all left behind. Drums containing precursor residue were also found.
The news outlet interviewed former cooks who explained that everything was dismantled to avoid the cartel being tracked. One worker said: "We've practically destroyed everything. Working is now completely prohibited.
"All you do is hunker down, hide, and try to sell the few things you have left to survive. If the government doesn't take you down, the other one will."
The White House's war on cartels began on the first day of President Trump's second term in office on January 20, when he announced he would be designating eight cartels as 'foreign terrorist organisations'.
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