During the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 20, La Mayiza, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, displayed a series of banners in strategic locations throughout Colima. The main message of these banners was a public declaration of an alliance with the Independent Cartel of Colima, also known as Los Mezcales.
According to social media users, the banners appeared in municipalities such as Villa de Álvarez, Coquimatlán, Tecomán, and Manzanillo—areas of high importance for criminal control of the region, especially the latter due to its connection to the port.
The banners contained messages directed at rival groups and the general population. The text, transcribed from one of the banners, reads: “These Mezcal guys are no longer alone… Pure MZ MF Mayito Flaco people are already in Colima.”
The banner makes a direct reference to the Sinaloa Cartel faction led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, alias Mayito Flaco.
With this announcement, a new front has opened in the confrontation with criminal groups in the region, primarily the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). At the same time, the population is on edge due to threats of a possible resurgence of violence.
Journalist Óscar Balderas pointed out that with this alliance, three strategic locations are now in dispute: prisons, the state capital, and the port of Manzanillo.
It should be noted that La Mayiza is currently waging a battle against the CJNG in Zacatecas, as well as in Sinaloa, where factions of the four-letter cartel are reportedly supporting Los Chapitos.
The split between Los Mezcales (Independent Cartel of Colima) and the CJNG emerged from a previous alliance, when Los Mezcales operated as a local cell subordinate to the CJNG to maintain territorial control in Colima, primarily in the port of Manzanillo and surrounding municipalities.
The fracture occurred in early 2022, when leaders of Los Mezcales decided to disregard the authority of the CJNG and seek autonomy in their operations. This decision was attributed to internal disagreements over profit sharing, control of drug trafficking routes, and the collection of extortion payments. Furthermore, an atmosphere of distrust developed within the CJNG structure, which began to displace or eliminate local operatives deemed disloyal.
Following this split, Los Mezcales declared themselves enemies of the CJNG in the region, triggering an unprecedented wave of violence in Colima. The clashes included armed attacks, executions, and the appearance of banners with mutual threats. The conflict intensified in key areas such as the capital, Villa de Álvarez, and the port of Manzanillo, in addition to the dispute over control of state prisons.
During the week of February 15, 2022, Colima experienced an escalation of violence that left at least 22 murders in various municipalities, including armed attacks on vehicles, attacks on homes, executions in public, decapitated bodies, and human remains found in bags. Among the victims were minors, and an attack was also reported on a property owned by former PRI state representative Aureliano Hernández Alonso.
During this period, Los Mezcales began to publicly distance themselves from attacks against civilians, accusing the CJNG of perpetrating the murders of innocent families and blaming others to deflect attention.
In August 2022, members of the Mexico City Police and the Army arrested José Bernabé “N”, alias ‘La Vaca’, leader of ‘Los Mezcales’, one of the main generators of violence in Colima.
Source: infobae
