convergence

Sullivan
The maras frequently mentioned in this context, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
and Eighteenth Street (M-18), both originally from Los Angeles, now operate throughout
North and Central America. Some discount the complex, networked nature of these gangs, but
sensitive investigations have shown intricate, networked command and control relationships
operating along a line of communication known as the “Bloody Triangle,” which refers to Los
Angeles, San Salvador, and Northern Virginia, where jailhouse coordinators in all three locations
collaborate to authorize “green lights” for gang assassinations. 16 In addition to domination
of criminal turf, maras can exhibit evolved political and/or mercenary aims. These dimensions
are usually present within specific cliques (nodes or subelements) of the mara network rather
than an enterprise-wide objective.
Cartels and Gangs: Criminal Insurgencies in Mexico and Central America
Mexico’s drug war has killed an estimated 40,000 persons since 2006 when President Felipe
Calderón declared war on the cartels. 17 “Mexico is imploding in a series of interlocking ‘criminal
insurgencies’ culminating in a virtual civil war.” 18 The wars are primarily the result of battles
among drug cartels. The aim is to dominate criminal enterprise and control the “plazas” or drug
corridors, as well as battles with the state—both police and military—in order to operate freely.
As noted in one paper:
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The cartels are joined by a variety of gangs in the quest to dominate the global criminal
opportunity space. Third generation gangs—that is, gangs like Mara Salvatrucha
(MS-13) that have transcended operating on localized turf with a simple market focus
to operate across borders and challenge political structures—are both partners and
foot soldiers for the dominant cartels. Gangs and cartels seek profit and are not driven
by ideology. But the ungoverned, lawless zones they leave in their wake provide fertile
ground for extremists and terrorists to exploit. 19
This is not to say that cartels and gangs aren’t potentially insurgent. They can and do
have insurgent potential and are actively challenging the state in parts of Mexico and Latin
America. The cartels, while not driven by explicit ideology, are actively seeking power and
reconfiguring the state (CStR).
The current levels and scope of network interconnectivity among Mexico’s “criminal netwarriors”
are complex and ever shifting. Los Zetas, initially an enforcement arm of the Gulf
Cartel, now operates as an independent enterprise while cross-border gangs vie for a piece of
the action and alliances morph and shift as the battle of “all against all” progresses.
The shifting alliances of Mexican drug cartels seem to be leading to the rise of competing
alliances or “mega cartels.” The Mexican daily Excélsior reports that SEDENA (the Mexican
national defense/intelligence organization) assesses that eight drug-trafficking organizations
in Mexico are potentially uniting to form two competing blocs in order to gain control of
the “narco-sphere.” 20 Currently, the largest players in the drug war in Mexico are the Sinaloa
Cartel and Los Zetas. 21 Other cartels and gangs are present in the conflict and the tensions of
all-against-all remain, but the spoils may be favoring these two major blocs.