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| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Acapulco, Guerrero |
| Years active | 2010–2014[citation needed] |
| Territory | Guerrero |
| Ethnicity | Mexican |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, murder, kidnapping, torture and arms trafficking[1] |
| Allies | Beltrán-Leyva Cartel Milenio Cartel |
| Rivals | La Barredora Sinaloa Cartel |
The Independent Cartel of Guerrero (Spanish: Cártel Independiente de Acapulco or CIDA) was a criminal gang based in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, Guerrero and its surrounding territories. The criminal group came into existence during the rapid decentralization of Mexico's drug trafficking organizations as a split-off group of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel.[1] Originally, the Beltrán Leyva cartel operated in the city, but the group no longer has presence in Acapulco. After the Mexican military gunned down the top boss of the cartel – Arturo Beltrán Leyva – in December 2009, his brother Héctor Beltrán Leyva took control of one of the factions of the cartel and declared war on Edgar Valdez Villarreal, who had long been the right hand of Arturo.[2] Amidst the violence, Valdez Villarreal tried to appoint a successor, but those in Acapulco broke off and formed their own criminal gang: the Independent Cartel of Acapulco. Within weeks, however, the group had splintered also, forming a new and rival group known as La Barredora.[1] Villarreal Valdez was then captured by the Mexican Federal Police in August 2010, but the violence between the groups for the control of Acapulco continued.[2]
The hitmen of the Independent Cartel of Acapulco are known for flaying the faces of their victims and putting them on car seats throughout various points of the city.[1] They are also notorious for extorting taxi drivers and threatening them to avoid taking people to territories of their rivals in risks of getting killed.[1] Part of the reason why the area in Acapulco is often entrenched in violence is because the port city is treasured by drug traffickers due to its corruption, its long and jagged coastline, and the high amount of boat traffic.[3] Hence, Acapulco is considered an ideal place to carry out drug trafficking operations, where smugglers use speedboats to move large sums of cocaine from South America northward.[3]
Since the capture of one of their top leaders in December 2011, the Independent Cartel of Acapulco appears to have been damaged severely and has faded from public view. Their weakness, however, appears to have allowed La Barredora, a Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated gang, to take up the drug operations.[4]
After the assassination of the YouTuber Pamika Montenegro Real (known as "Nana Pelucas") in February 2018, the Prosecutor Xavier Olea Peláez said during a press conference that the ambush was organized by Javier Daniel Cervantes Magno (aka "El Barbas"), member to the cartel of Acapulco led by José Ángel Palacios Galeana (aka "El Capuchino").[5]
- ^ a b c d e Casey, Nicholas (3 August 2011). "Mexican Police Catch Alleged Cartel Boss". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 18 December 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ a b Sanchez, Mariana (15 August 2011). "Drug gangs wage war for Acapulco". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ a b Ramsey, Geoffrey (5 April 2011). "'Acapulco Cartel' Sets Fire to Market, Engages Military". InSight Crime. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Polarization and Sustained Violence in Mexico's Cartel War". Beckley Foundation. 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Nana Pelucas, la youtuber que habría sido asesinada por narco mexicano". 7 February 2018.