Top 10 Narcos Drug Lords That Are STILL ACTIVE

While the Tijuana Cartel is nowhere near as influential as it once was, it still has a hold in Baja California. It was once a branch of the Guadalajara Cartel, but like the Juárez and Sinaloa cartels, splintered into a separate organization in the late 1980s. Heading the Tijuana Cartel is Enedina Arellano Félix, who took over from her brothers in 2008 after most of them ended up captured or killed. Also known as La Jefa and La Madrina, Félix was born into a family of narcos and has been in the business her whole life. As the final holdout, Félix is keeping the family trade afloat from behind the scenes, and she remains a fugitive from the law.

Known as the Dapper Don, Christy Kinahan is an Irish drug smuggler who’s wanted by a slew of organizations, including the DEA and the Irish police. As of April 2022, authorities are offering $5 million for his arrest. Born in Dublin, Kinahan has a long criminal history, beyond just drug smuggling, including fixing horse races, money laundering, and six murders. Kinahan’s operation made its way into the mainstream news in February 2016, when six hitmen from a rival criminal killed Kinahan’s associate David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel. The intended target was reported to be Kinahan’s son, Daniel.

Nicknamed El Gori II, Morales is a lieutenant in the Mexican cartel Los Zetas. The syndicate is a relatively new organization, having been founded in 1997. Initially, it comprised deserters from the Mexican Army, working as mercenaries for the Gulf Cartel, but split off into its own group in 2010. Morales was a corporal in the Mexican military, until joining Los Zetas in 2003. There are rumors that he was killed in a shootout in 2009, but the authorities aren’t sure, and there’s a reward of 15 million Mexican Pesos for his capture.

On November 3, 2021, Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Carias is suspected of leading the international criminal gang MS-13 from Honduras. Originating in Los Angeles, MS-13 may have a global membership as high as 70,000 and is deeply involved in organized crime, partaking in the likes of racketeering, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Authorities suspect that Carias is providing weapons and drugs to MS-13 members based in the United States. The FBI is offering $100,000 for help in capturing him.

Back in December of 2017, Juan Carlos Mesa, the founder of the Colombian cartel Mesa Family, was arrested and imprisoned. It seems like he has since been supplanted by a man named Guillermo Alejandro. It is believed that Alejandro and the Mesa Family provide illegal drugs to Europe, and Alejandro delivers the narcotics inside live exotic animals. As a result of this association, Guillermo Alejandro has since become known as “El Bestiality Bandito.” This sounds like a bizarre mix of “Narcos” and “Tiger King”; if more information becomes public, Netflix will have a field day.

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#5: The ‘Chapitos’

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After Joaquín Guzmán, also known as El Chapo, was captured for a third time in 2016, four of his sons, the ‘Chapitos’, took over parts of the Sinaloa Cartel. Their names are Ovidio Guzmán López, Joaquín Guzmán López, Iván Archivaldo Salazar, and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar. Also known as El Ratón (The Mouse), Ovidio was actually arrested back in October 2019. However, this arrest sparked the Battle of Culiacán, in which the Sinaloa Cartel fought the Mexican Army and threatened the families of servicemen. The intimidation worked, and Ovidio was freed.

Nicknamed ‘El Contador’, Nadales is the leader of Los Zetas, the same group as the aforementioned Eduardo Almanza Morales. Although it’s a relatively new cartel, having broken away from the Gulf Cartel in 2010, Los Zetas has developed a reputation for horrific violence, including beheadings. Its operations include extortion, kidnapping, gun running, and drug trafficking. Not much is known about its leader Nadales, except that, like many in the cartel, he was once a member of the Mexican Special Forces. There’s a sizable reward for information that leads to his capture.

Ledezma is the current leader of the Juárez Cartel. Founded back in 1970, Juárez are rivals of the Sinaloa Cartel and are also based out of Mexico. It imports drugs into the United States, using its location on the US-Mexico border to its advantage. The Juárez Cartel is particularly feared in Mexico, as it often uses brutal displays of violence as an intimidation tactic. This violence is typically carried out by the armed enforcer faction of the cartel, La Línea. Ledezma once had an intense rivalry with El Chapo, and it’s believed that Ledezma ordered the execution of El Chapo’s brother, El Pollo.

Often referred to as El Mencho, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes currently heads the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Like some other cartels on this list, the Jalisco New Generation is known for its savage use of violence against rivals and security forces. Cervantes is currently the most wanted man in Mexico, and American authorities are offering a staggering $10 million for information that leads to his arrest. Rumors swirled in 2022 that Cervantes had died in a private hospital, but these reports have not been substantiated, and he is still sought by authorities.

Going by the nickname El Mayo, Ismael Zambada is the leader of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel. Back in 2009, Mexico published a list of their 37 most wanted drug lords. All have since died or been captured - except Zambada. In fact, he has never even been arrested. In 2020, it was revealed that Zambada’s health has been failing and that he is losing influence to El Chapo’s sons, the aforementioned Chapitos. Regardless, Zambada is still a wanted man, and a reward of $15 million has been set for his capture.