Beltrán-Leyva Cartel
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Brothers: Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto and Héctor Beltrán Leyva |
| Founding location | Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Years active | Active |
| Territory |
Mexico: North Sinaloa, Morelos, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Chiapas United States: California, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico,Nayarit |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder, arms trafficking, fencing, burglary |
| Allies | Los Mazatlecos, Los Zetas, Juarez Cartel, Independent Cartel of Acapulco, Knights Templar Cartel, Barrio Azteca, Tijuana Cartel, La Línea |
| Rivals | La Familia Michoacana, Gulf Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13, |
The Beltrán-Leyva Cartel (also known as the Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO);Spanish: Cártel de los Beltrán Leyva (CBL)) was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate, headed by the five Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto and Héctor. Founded as a branch of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Beltrán Leyva cartel was responsible for transportation and wholesaling of cocaine, heroin and marijuana (and the production of the last two). It controlled numerous drug trafficking corridors, and engaged in human smuggling, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, murder and gun-running.
The Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, had effectively infiltrated the ranks of various Mexican government agencies and Mexico's Interpol. Its last known leader, Héctor Beltrán Leyva, was arrested in October 2014, having had a multimillion-dollar bounty placed on him by the governments of both the United States and Mexico. On August 11, 2011 the capture of one of the cartel's former top lieutenants, called "the last Beltran-Leyva link of any importance", prompted Mexican authorities to declare the cartel disbanded and extinct.
Born in the Sinaloan countryside in the 1960s, the Beltrán Leyva brothers — Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto and Héctor — worked closely with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, during decades of smuggling. Sensing a void in the rival Gulf Cartel after Osiel Cárdenas' arrest on March 14, 2003, the Sinaloa Cartel began to move into Gulf Cartel territory. The gangs fought each other in northern Mexican cities, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, including some civilians, police and journalists.
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