Mergers and Aquisitions

From the DEA, this could wind up being a huge piece of news.

The gist of it is that half of the leadership of the La Federación, up to now the most powerful of the Mexican cartels, has merged with the Zetas, the group of ex-army soldiers known for their bloody tactics. The Zetas, who served as the army of the now-extradited Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cárdenas, are now being linked to the Beltrán Leyva brothers, who were a part of the La Federación. As the name indicates, La Federación was a relatively loose grouping of various kingpins from Sinaloa and Juarez. This merger leaves the group quite a bit less federated, with the wing associated with El Chapo Guzmán now isolated. The split helps explain the recent violence in Sinaloa.

One wonders where this will lead. Any time a cartel breaks up, the factions often wind up targeting their erstwhile allies, so that would suggest that Mexico has a violent period ahead. It's also possible that the consolidation of two formidable and formerly competing groups will help create a hegemonic cartel, which could ultimately lead to relative calm. Of course, the alliances and enmities change faster in the Mexican drug industry than they do in Grand Theft Auto, so by the time I finish posting this it could well be dated.