The US got them to attack the sinaloa cartel in the 00’s, and the CIA may or may not have helped rig the presidential election for Calderon to do it.
Sinaloa played a sort of long game, worked with established organized crime players. When it got smashed smaller regional players took over that took a more adversarial approach to organized crime players, and each other. In doing so many brought on former Mexican Army for protection and muscle, the zetas, that took over some of the cartels themselves.
The US got them to attack the sinaloa cartel in the 00’s, and the CIA may or may not have helped rig the presidential election for Calderon to do it.
Sinaloa played a sort of long game, worked with established organized crime players. When it got smashed smaller regional players took over that took a more adversarial approach to organized crime players, and each other. In doing so many brought on former Mexican Army for protection and muscle, the zetas, that took over some of the cartels themselves.